Gov poll: We’re self-sponsored, Nasarawa protesters counter APC

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The protesting women, youths and other residents of Nasarawa State have vowed to continue with their demonstrations until justice is served to those who voted for the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, David Ombugadu, during the March 18, 2023 election in the state.

The All Progressives Congress had accused the PDP of encouraging political, ethnic and religious crisis in the state by sponsoring protests against the judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja which affirmed the election of the state governor, Abdullahi Sule.

Speaking with journalists at the end of a  protest in Lafia on Wednesday, an elderly woman, Sarah Danjuma, said residents will continue to demand for justice because their votes were stolen by desperate politicians in the state.

She said, “As you can see, the majority of us gathered here are widows, aged women, youths and other concerned citizens who are worried by the high level of political slavery in the state.

“We did not cast our votes in the March 18 governorship election for Abdullahi  Sule, but for David  Ombugadu.

“We are protesting to demand the reversal of the appeal court’s judgment which declared Sule as the governor. No political party is sponsoring us, not even the PDP.

“Most of us here always take our farm produce to the market to sell so that we can get money to buy food and water during the protests. Some of us who have vehicles and motorcycles usually bring them to help in conveying people to the protest locations and back to our homes daily.

“So, if the APC people in the state said we are being sponsored by the PDP to protest the injustice done to David Ombugadu, they are totally wrong on that assumption. We are standing for Ombugadu and nothing else. Anytime you see us in the PDP secretariat, it is because we are in solidarity with our candidate whose mandate has been stolen.”

She, therefore called on the Supreme Court to do justice to the drama that took place at the popular ‘Gayam and ‘Chiroma electoral wards in Lafia Local Government Area of the state during the governorship election.

She added,  “How can anyone overlook the irregularities during the March 18 governorship election under the guise of technicalities in Gayam and Chiroma wards in Lafia Local Government Area?

“The total number of accredited voters in Gayam ward according to INEC was about 13,000. Then in the result of that election, 33,000 votes were given to the APC alone by INEC. This is traumatising, and that is the point we are making.

“Secondly in the Chiroma ward, the number of accredited voters according to INEC’s record is 21,000, but INEC announced 59,000 votes solely for the APC. Who will know all these and just fold his or her hands in a democratic system?

“We just want the right thing to be done. We have been called all kinds of names by the ruling APC. They said we were prostitutes. They said we were being paid to go nude. They said we were shameless and irresponsible.

“We are appealing to the justices to carefully look at the results of the governorship election in the state. They should not pass judgment in the name of technicalities, but it should be based on the merit of the matter.”