The Supreme Court, on Friday, affirmed the election victory of Bala Mohammed as duly elected governor of Bauchi State in the March 18 election.
INEC declares PDP’s Bala Mohammed winner of gov’ship poll
The Informant247 reports the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the incumbent governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, was declared the winner of the March 18 gubernatorial election held in Bauchi State by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Professor Abdulkarim Sabo Muhammed, the INEC Returning Officer while announcing the results at the Bauchi INEC office on Monday, said the PDP candidate polled 525,280 votes to defeat the APC candidate, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar (retd), who scored 433,272 votes, while the candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Halliru Jika, came third with 60,496 votes.
He said: “I, Professor Abdulkarim Sabo Muhammad, hereby certify that I am the returning officer of the Bauchi governorship election in Bauchi held on the 18th day of March 2023.
“That Bala Mohammed Abdukadir of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared winner and returned elected,” he said.
The legal battle
Dissatisfied by the election results, the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakr (rtd), heads to court, where the State Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday, September 20, upheld the election victory of Governor Bala Mohammed.
Justice P.T Kwahar-led three-man panel of the tribunal, while delivering the judgement on Wednesday, dismissed the petition of the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakr (rtd), who challenged the result of the election, which it held that the petitioners failed to prove their allegations on non-compliance with electoral act, electoral irregularities as well as the bypass of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (B-VAS) machines in some polling units of Toro, Dass, Zaki, Itas-Gadau, Alkaleri, Bauchi, Tafawa Balewa, Ningi, Dambam and Ganjuwa Local Government Areas.
Justice Kwahar also held that there was no tangible evidence to show that the BVAS was indeed manipulated while adding that the witnesses brought by the petitioner presented evidence based on hearsay as they were not present at the polling units, “they have failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt that the APC candidate won the election.”
Appeal Court dismisses APC’s appeal to unseat Governor Bala Mohammed
However, AVM Sadique Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress (APC), while rejecting the judgment of the tribunal, headed to the Appeal Court, where the appellate on Friday, November 17, dismissed his appeal while affirming the election of Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of Bauchi State.
Justice Chidiebere Nwaoma-led three-member panel on Friday unanimously held that Abubakar and the APC failed to prove the allegations of malpractices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 against Governor Mohammed and the PDP.
