By Azeez Ali
Mr Francis Orogu, Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa, has tasked traditional rulers in the state to maintain neutrality on the ongoing Election Petition Tribunal in the state.
Mr David Ombugadu, governorship candidate of PDP is challenging the declaration of Gov. Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the governorship polls at the tribunal sitting in Lafia.
The PDP chairman, who gave the advise at a news conference on Friday in Lafia, said that traditional rulers are supposed to be father figures in the society, hence remain neutral in all issues.
He stressed that traditional rulers, who are the custodians of cultures and traditions, were expected to be neutral and desist from partisan politics to maintain the sanctity of the traditional institutions.
“Why I am saying this is because we have it in good authority that some royal fathers, had vowed to ensure that the outcome of the tribunal favours the present government in the state.
“Even before the general elections, some of them publicly declared support for Gov. Abdullahi Sule and campaigned for him.
“They also mobilised themselves and visited the Vice President, Kashim Shettima in his office recently,”Orogu said.
The PDP chairman explained that he thought it was a rumour when the news of their visit to the Vice President broke out in the news.
He added that it was spread in the social media that the traditional rulers from the state went to lobby the vice president to influence the outcome of the tribunal in favour of the governor.
“We later knew it was true that they did visit the vice president and we even saw pictures of them and read news from the mainstream media about the visit.
“That they visited was no longer in contention, but what is still in dispute was the issues that they discussed with the vice president,” he added.
Mr Orogu also appealed to the federal government not to interfere in the governorship dispute in Nasarawa State.
The PDP Chairman in the state expressed optimism that the party would get justice given the evidences and facts they presented at the tribunal.
He also said that nobody has the right to stop someone from becoming a governor of the state because of the person’s religion if the electorates votes for such person.
“The state belong to the adherence of both religion and God knows why he created us as such,” Orogu added.