Women in Nasarawa State have once again taken to the streets in Lafia, the state capital, to voice their grievances over what they perceive as an injustice done to the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, David Ombugadu.
The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal had initially declared Ombugadu the winner on October 2, ousting Governor Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress. However, Sule contested the decision at the Court of Appeal, where he was subsequently declared the winner.
Expressing their dissatisfaction with the judicial process, the leader of the protesting women groups, Hanatu John, emphasized the essence of democracy being rooted in popular votes. John raised concerns over the insecurity in the state, disrupting residents’ access to farmlands, and urged the Supreme Court to intervene for the sake of justice.
In a plea directed at President Bola Tinubu and the international community, John implored their intervention to safeguard democracy in the state and 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,” she said.
The women commenced their protest on December 25, foregoing Christmas celebrations, as they believe their mandate was unjustly taken away.
The ongoing demonstrations, which began in March, aim to draw attention to what the protesters describe as electoral injustice.
Margaret Alu, another protester, echoed the sentiment of anguish among the women, emphasizing that they had not been happy since Governor Sule was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Clad in black attire and brandishing placards with messages such as “Count Every Vote: Protect Democracy in Nasarawa State” and “Bring back our mandate: Our votes are our rights,” the women expressed their determination to continue peaceful demonstrations until justice is served and their mandate is restored.
