By Linus Aleke, Abuja
The Civil Liberty Organization (CLO), has called out the Governor of Nasarawa State, Engr Abdullahi Sule, over divisive comments capable of setting the country ablaze.
The group alleged that the Governor has been making statements capable of undermining the sanctity and independence of the judiciary and capable of threatening the unity of the country.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, in Abuja, the President of CLO, Comrade Igho Akeregha, observed that
since the verdict of the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal nullified the election of Engr. Sule, and declared Hon. David Ombugadu of the People’s Democratic Party as the winner of the elections, the governor has continued to unleash anti-democratic rhetorics in the media.
The CLO condemned in strong terms, the Governor’s interview with BBC and NTA, where he alleged that the judges that quashed his election victory were Christians, and the only dissenting judge, a Muslim.
While calling for the prosecution of the
Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Prof. Ishaya Tanko, for his role in manipulating and subverting the governorship election results of March 18, 2023, in Nasarawa state, Comrade Akeregha, also requested the international community to immediately impose strict sanctions and a visa ban on the duo for their anti-democratic activities.
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Also warning that it was time to rein in anti-democratic elements who are bent on sabotaging Nigeria’s democracy with impunity, the CLO leaders said, “It has formally sent petitions to the government of the United States of America, the UK, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, China, Saudi Arabia, Australia, South Africa and the European Union through their Embassies in Nigeria to request the immediate imposition of sanctions and visa ban on the Nasarawa state Governor and Prof. Ishaya Tanko, Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Plateau State for their roles in manipulating and subverting the governorship election results of March 18, 2023, in Nasarawa state”.
The group noted that the gubernatorial election in the state afforded Nasarawa people the opportunity to exercise their democratic rights to elect leaders of their choice by democratic tenets but Governor Sule who has challenged the judgment on Appeal is resorting to self-help through his utterances instead of waiting for the courts to decide his fate.
The CLO berated Prof Ishaya Tanko, the INEC Returning Officer for Nasarawa state who declared the results in favour of Governor Sule which has now been reversed by the Tribunal.
“For us in the CLO and by our Democracy and Governance mandate, it is time to hold politicians and INEC officials who behave inappropriately to account for their actions.
“Bad behaviour cannot be rewarded with public office. Impunity must now be put down and perpetrators brought to justice. The international community must act now to save democracy,” he said.
In the petition by the organisation, the group disclosed that Governor Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress, APC was one of the four candidates in the Governorship Elections for Nasarawa state including Hon. David Ombugadu of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Others were Yakubu Maidoya of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and Mustapha Abubakar of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
“A day after the election on March 19, 2023, the CLO said the Independent National Electoral Commission had promised to declare the result of the governorship poll at 9 a.m. the following day which is March 20, 2023.
However, for inexplicable reasons, the State Returning Officer Professor Tanko Ishaya, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos emerged five hours earlier than promised at 4 a.m. while most people were still asleep and declared APC’s Sule winner.
According to Prof Ishaya, APC’s Sule polled 347,209 votes to defeat PDP’s David Ombugadu whom he claimed scored 283,016 votes.
This was followed by days of public rage and protests as the electorates accused Prof Ishaya of manipulating the results. Nasarawa state witnessed widespread turbulence over what the electorates saw as a rape of democracy.
Everyone had expected Ombugadu to be declared as winner since he was leading with an unassailable margin in all 12 of the 13 local government areas announced at the time with results of only two Wards being awaited from the 13th LGA being Lafia.
But while providing the breakdown for Lafia LGA, Prof. Ishaya falsely and deliberately claimed that Sule polled 107, 213 votes against Ombugadu’s 41, 494, a difference of 57,619 votes,” CLO further disclosed.
