As Nigerians and citizens across the world celebrate Christmas, residents of Nasarawa State comprising aged women, widows and young adult women, have staged a protest in Lafia, the state capital over the alleged injustice done to the People’s Democratic Party governorship candidate, David Ombugadu, during the 2023 elections.
Recall that the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal had on October 2, sacked Governor Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress and announced Ombugadu as winner, but unsatisfied by the judgement, Sule approached the Appeal Court where he was declared as the actual winner of the governorship election in the state.
Speaking with Journalists in Lafia on Tuesday, Leader of the protesting women groups, Hanatu John, lamented that democracy was about popular votes and wondered why a person with the highest votes would not be declared the winner of an election in Nasarawa State.
John who was emotional while speaking with our correspondent, decried the level of insecurity in the state which had stopped many residents from going to their farmlands, and called on the Supreme Court to deliver justice in the case in the interest of humanity.
She appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the international communities to intervene in the matter in order to safe democracy in the state and by extension, the entire country.
“We started this week’s protest on Monday, December 25, because celebrating Christmas seems void when our mandate was stolen from us.
“We have been here since March protesting what we described as electoral injustice. During the governorship election, we voted for Ombugadu not Sule. But we are hoping that the right thing will be done at the Supreme Court.
“We are therefore, urging the Judges to critically look into the governorship election results from Nasarawa State so that our mandate will be restored.”
Corroborating John, another protester, Margaret Alu, said they gathered for the protest because they had not been happy since Governor Abdullahi Sule was declared winner of the March 18 governorship election in the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“We are in anguish. We left our husbands and children behind because celebrating Christmas when we are not happy is not proper. Some of us are widows, while others are jobless because our farmlands have been taken by the herdsmen.
“All we seek is justice, and until our mandate is returned, we will not relent in our daily peaceful demonstrations,” she said.
Our correspondent reports that the women who dressed in black attires, wielded placards with several inscriptions such as Count Every Vote: Protect Democracy in Nasarawa State; Bring back our mandate: Our votes are our Rights; Our farms are not safe, our husbands are killed, widows are raped, among others.
