In a major ruling, the Nasarawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has nullified the victory of incumbent Governor Abdullahi Sule and declared opposition candidate David Ombugadu as the rightful winner.

Ombugadu, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had challenged the outcome of the March 2023 election where he lost narrowly to Sule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In its judgement on Monday, a split tribunal agreed by a 2-1 margin that the valid votes cast meant Ombugadu was the proper victor, despite official results showing Sule garnered 347,209 votes to Ombugadu’s 283,016.

The dramatic upset follows Ombugadu’s petition contesting the returns based on alleged irregularities and discrepancies in number of votes cast in the tightly contested race.

While Governor Sule sought re-election after his first term, mounting opposition from the PDP’s Ombugadu nearly denied his return to office before the initial declaration.

With the tribunal verdict, power now changes hands pending potential appeal by Sule in the next phase of a fiercely fought gubernatorial legal battle.