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A protest against the Supreme Court decision to uphold the election of Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has snowballed into a riot at the state capital, Lafia.
Shortly after the Supreme Court jurists upheld the election of Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives, supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the election, David Ombugadu barricaded the Lafia -Jos road of the state to register their displeasure.
The protest later led to blocking of roads and burning of tires which led to shops and business centres including schools within the Lafia metropolis being closed.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the appeal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate David Umbugadu against the election of Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State.
The panel of justices in a unanimous decision dismissed it for lack of merit and no cost was awarded.
On October 2, the Election Petition Tribunal in Lafia nullified Governor Sule’s victory and declared David Ombugadu as the winner of the poll.
Consequently, Governors Sule and the All Progressives Congress (APC) sought to overturn the verdict by appealing the judgment of the tribunal
The court of appeal in its judgment on November 23, faulted the verdict of the tribunal and affirmed Sule’s election as governor.
The appeal court upheld that the tribunal relied on legally inadmissible evidence to declare Ombugadu as the winner of the March 18 poll.
According to the appellate court, the tribunal wrongly relied on the evidence of eight of the PDP witnesses whose statements on oath were not front-loaded alongside the petition.
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