TheCable

Walid Jibrin, former chair of the board of trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says Abdullahi Sule, governor of Nasarawa, knows that he did not win the state’s governorship election.

The Nasarawa governorship election petitions tribunal sacked Abdullahi Sule as governor of the state last week.

The tribunal declared PDP’s David Ombugadu as the duly elected governor of Nasarawa. However, Sule has said he would appeal the verdict.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Friday, Jibrin said Sule’s attempt to give a religious colouration to the tribunal judgment is wrong.

“Sule and everyone in Nasarawa state and Nigeria is fully aware that Sule did not win the election and therefore should not be governor in Nasarawa against the will of the people and the law,” the PDP chieftain said.

“The sad attempt to divide the judiciary on religious lines will destroy the only institution that remains the last hope of the common man.

“It is therefore very shocking that instead of accepting the widely anticipated verdict of the tribunal, Governor Sule had decided to plead religion as reason why he won’t leave office for Dr. David Ombugadu of the PDP who is the true winner of the 18 March 2023 governorship election in Nasarawa state!

“As I said earlier, I am a devout Muslim and an elder of over 70 years. I am shocked by Sule’s attempt to blame his defeat on religion rather than the overwhelming facts before God and all Nigerians which show clearly that he didn’t win the last governorship election in Nasarawa.”

Jibrin said Nigerians should be wary of the politics of religion as it is capable of destroying the country.

“If we are not careful with the politics of religion, the whole country will be destroyed,” he said.

“Nasarawa state is made up of Muslims and Christians almost in equal numbers and Dr Ombugadu will be the first Christian to govern Nasarawa state since inception in 1996.

“This is a beautiful opportunity to unite our state for peace, good governance, and democracy.”

While speaking at a peace summit in Abuja on Tuesday, Sule said: “A lot of you must have read the tribunal ruling in our state when two of the judges, who are Christians, decided that a Christian won the election and one Muslim judge decided that it is the Muslim who won the election”.