Supreme Court Affirms Bala Mohammed As Duly Elected Governor Of Bauchi State
… As deputy governor welcomes triumph against APC
BY ADEYEMI AKANJI – The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Friday, January 12, 2024 upheld the election of Senator Bala Mohammed as the duly elected Governor of Bauchi State.
In a lead judgement, Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeal Abuja, which on November 17, 2023, equally upheld the election of Senator Mohammed as the duly elected Governor of Bauchi State.
The unanimous judgment of the five-Man panel of justices, was predicated on an appeal filed by the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Amb Saddique Baba Abubakar.
Justice Saulawa held that Abubakar’s appeal was devoid of merit since all the six issues adopted for determination were answered against the appellant.
The Bauchi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, had earlier declared Mohammed the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as winner of the election having polled 525,280 votes to defeat Abubakar, a former Chief of Air Staff, who recorded 432,272 votes.
Abubakar had approached the tribunal seeking to nullify Mohammed victory but, in September 2023, the tribunal dismissed the petition, stating that the petitioners failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt the allegation of manipulation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the election to the advantage of the PDP candidate.
Reacting to the outcome of the judgement, the deputy governor of Bauchi State, Hon. Mohammed Auwal Jatau welcomed the triumphant victory at the Supreme Court against the APC and its gubernatorial candidate, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar (rtd) on the victory of the PDP following the outcome of the 2023 governorship election in the state.
Jatau while congratulating Governor Bala Mohammed, described the victory as a testament to their administration’s indomitable spirit and tireless efforts towards the total transformation of Bauchi state into a beacon of development and inclusive governance.
He said that with the ruling, the Supreme Court has affirmed its position as the ultimate arbiter of truth, fairness, and the rule of law.
Jatau said; “Our faith in the judiciary has been further strengthened, as they have boldly upheld the collective will of the people, safeguarding the integrity of our electoral process. Let us all commend the justices who have demonstrated their unwavering dedication to the pursuit of justice and the preservation of our democratic values”.
