Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has dedicated his victory at the Appeal Court to the people of the state, urging them to unite further into order for the victory to be translated to meaningful development.
Governor Sule laid the charge while addressing a mammoth crowd of supporters that thronged the Nasarawa Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja shortly after the Appeal Court judgement that reinstated the Governor on Thursday.
This is just as the Governor extended the olive branch to the opposition, calling on them to partner with his administration to further develop the state.
While congratulating the opposition for their resilience, he pointed out that though they have done their best, but their best has come short of victory at the appellate court.
“I want to call on them that if they truly love Nasarawa State this is the time for them to come and partner with us because they can see clearly that we mean well for Nasarawa State. They can see clearly that we have a plan for Nasarawa State. They can see clearly that our plan and our wisdom has nothing to do with ethnicity, has nothing to do with religion. We love the good people of Nasarawa State irrespective of their ethnicity and their religion,” the Governor stated.
Governor Sule appreciated the leadership of the party both at the national and state level, adding that he would continue to show appreciation especially to major stakeholders of the party in the state.
He however called on the people of the state to view what happened at the governorship election petition tribunal as a wake up call, stressing that the present moment calls for soul searching and sincerity of purpose.
“I want to call especially on our members of our party to be sincere with yourselves first because if you are not sincere with yourself, you cannot be sincere with others. We must be able to be sincere first with ourselves. I believe strongly that what happened to us at the tribunal is a wake up call. If it had not happened, maybe we would not be aware at this moment. I think it’s a wonderful wake up call and God Almighty is the one who gives the opportunity for this wake up call,” he added.
He particularly called on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to endeavour to be sincere with each another and to shun acts capable of breeding disunity.
He also called on those who think they can only profit from bringing disagreement between people henceforth desist from the act as according to him, only God gives power.
Governor Sule equally used the opportunity to thank all those who prayed for him both within and outside the state, stressing that Nigerians prayed fervently across several states for his success at the appellate court.
“For me, with the amount of love I have seen at this period, with the amount of prayers from all of you, indeed from the whole of Nigeria. Many times I received calls about people who are praying for us in several states across Nigeria. They are praying for the unity, for the progress and future of Nasarawa State. This victory that we have today is a victory for the people of Nasarawa State.
“I thank you very much. I really appreciate all of you. I appreciate the millions of people out there who have continued to show this kind of support,” he stated.
The Governor prayed for those still having their cases before the Court of Appeal that they will all be victorious and to come and partner with his administration for the progress of Nasarawa State.
In there separate remarks during the occasion, two former governors of the state, Senators Abdullahi Adamu and Umaru Tanko Al-makura, congratulated Governor Sule on his victory at the appellate court.
According to Senator Adamu, what God has done for the APC to return Governor Sule to power must remain evergreen.
“We are here to congratulate him because he is the Governor, the leader of Nasarawa State. We are here also to identify with what God has done. The victory is not only for him but for the entire people of the state,” the former APC national chairman said.
He called on the people of the state to unite, fear God and be sincere in their undertakings with leaders.
On his part, Senator Al-makura appreciated the Governor for his determination and steadfastness to reclaim the peoples mandate despite the initial setback.
The immediate past governor of the state equally appreciated top government officials, as well as people of the state, for standing by Governor Sule and supporting him leading to the victory.
While describing the victory as a test for a new Nasarawa State, Senator Al-makura used the opportunity to call on party members to desist from acts capable of bringing disunity.
“I call on the people to desist from rumour peddling aimed at causing disunity among leaders in the state. We must be honest and give sincere advice to leaders and avoid any act capable of causing disunity. It is our responsibility to continue to support him in honesty and sincerity,” he stated.
He emphasized that the victory should further serve to unite the people of the state.
It would be recalled that last month, the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Nasarawa State nullified the election of Governor Sule and declared PDP’s David Ombugadu as the winner of the March 18, 2023 governorship election in the state.
Dissatisfied with the decision, the Governor filed an appeal challenging the judgement of the lower court at the Appeal Court.
And in an unanimous decision on Thursday, the Court of Appeal, Abuja reversed the decision of the tribunal delivered on October 2, thereby reinstating Governor Sule as dully elected.