•Governor Abdullahi Sule
As Christians across the world commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, ‘Women for Justice’ in Nasarawa State have said alleged electoral result falsification, coupled with the appellate court judgment denied them the joy of Christmas.
The over 500 protesters, comprising widows, aged and mid-aged women, have continued to express their disappointment and frustration over what they described as the miscarriage of justice, following the declaration of Governor Abdullahi Sule as winner of the March 18 polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), reports The Guardian.
Speaking to journalists during a peaceful protest, yesterday, in Lafia, the women appealed to the judiciary to handle election petition cases with the electorate in mind.
One of the protesters, Mrs. Hanatu John, who spoke to journalists, expressed worries that the women in Nasarawa, as well as the men, were sad because they never expected that by now their candidate, David Ombugadu, had not been announced as governor of the state.
He said: “I did not even know that today is Christmas because I am worried over what INEC did on March 18. Again, the Court of Appeal further compounded it when, in its judgment, the tribunal’s ruling was nullified.
“Since the inception of Nasarawa, women have never embarked on a protest of this magnitude, but this election outcome triggered this protest because it was obvious the result of the election was manipulated in favour of Sule.”
Mrs. Margaret Alu appealed to the apex court to be neutral against all influences and dig deep into what transpired at Gayam and Chiroma wards in Lafia, where the number of votes cast was more than the number of registered voters in the two wards.
According to Alu, most people are sick because of the manipulation of the election result by INEC. She added: “Huge jubilation took place in Nasarawa when the tribunal declared Ombugadu the rightful winner of the March 18 governorship elections, but the appellate court judgment threw the state into complete darkness.
“We are calling for justice that will bring lasting peace and harmony. Injustice breeds chaos and insurgency. We appeal for justice.”
