BAUCHI EX-GOV HAS NO MANDATE TO RECLAIM

In a verdict last week Monday, the Bauchi Election Petition Tribunal announced the dismissal of the case placed before it challenging the declaration by INEC of Bala Mohammed as winner of the last governorship election held in the state. The case, which was filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) on 12th April, 2019 alleged that there were irregularities in many polling units across the state especially in Bauchi, Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa Local Government Areas.

The APC therefore asked the Election Tribunal to cancel the results for those PUs as it alleged over voting and declare M. A. Abubakar winner. And on the 7th instant, the tribunal dismissed most of the submissions made by APC witnesses and consequently turned down the prayer of the petitioner. In a reaction, the former governor through his media aide, Ali M. Ali told newsmen that they would appeal the case noting that he would reclaim his mandate. While it is in tandem with the precepts of our constitutional democracy for the former governor to file an appeal, it is also important to state here that there is no need to approach the appellate court for a redress on this matter given that the Election Tribunal only reaffirmed the assertion of the good people of Bauchi State.

At the polls on 2nd March, 2019, most of the governorship votes cast were for Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed as announced by the INEC governorship election returning officer and confirmed by the Election Petition Tribunal last week. Given his very low performance and inability to administer public trust between 2015 and 2019, former Governor M. A. Abubakar ought to have seen it coming. Surely enough, in a politically volatile state like Bauchi, no governor will refuse to perform at least above average mark, refuse to pay salaries, pensions and gratuities and exhibit dictatorial tendencies in intra-party politics and yet expect to win reelection.

Even in Bauchi, Bogoro and Tafawa-Balewa Local Governments where the former governor is crying foul, it is most likely he actually didn’t win. This is especially so given the voting pattern in those local governments in the last general elections. In Bauchi for instance, PRP won the House of Representatives seat while NNPP and PDP respectively won the two House of Assembly seats. For Bogoro, since 1999, no party other than the PDP wins elections in the local government. And for Tafawa-Balewa, it shares same political sentiment with Bogoro and Dass, being under the same Federal Constituency. Mukhtar Jarmajo, dattuwamanga@gmail.com