Guber Election Petition: Bauchi Tribunal Reserves Judgment as Counsels Adopt Final Addresses

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

The Bauchi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has reserved judgment in the petition brought against the election of Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed as the governor of Bauchi State and his Deputy, Rt. Hon Mohammed Auwal Jatau.

THISDAY reports that the tribunal’s sitting  yesterday was held under tight security, which, despite measures put in  place to reduce number of people in the court premises, the crowd overpowered them and gained access to the premises.

The petition was filed by the defeated gubernatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in the last general elections, Ambassador Saddique Baba Abubakar.

The tribunal, during its sitting, said that it would communicate a date to deliver its judgment to the parties after Counsels adopted their final written addresses.

INEC is the first respondent in the petition while Governor Bala Mohammed and his Deputy, Jatau, were listed as the second and third respondents respectively.

The Counsel to the Respondents, Mr. Chris Uche submitted in their final address that the tribunal should dismiss the petition filed by the petitioners on the basis that the petitioners failed to prove the allegations contained in the petition.

Uche argued respectively that the March 18th, 2023 governorship election held in Bauchi State was conducted substantially in compliance with principle of the Electoral Act 2022.

He further stated that the claim made by the Petitioner in their petition has not been proved by their witnesses called – PW2, 4,5,8,9, and 10. Therefore, they urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition.

The Lead Counsel to the Petitioners, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), in his submission in adopting the final written address, argued that what determines the failure or success of a case is pleadings and evidence laid before a tribunal.

Fagbemi cited Section 73 Sub Section 2 of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended, arguing that the purported election in those areas raised in their petition should be declared invalid.

He also opined that if those votes would be deducted, the Petitioner, Sadique Abubakar, would score 252,022 votes while the Respondent, Mr. Bala Mohamed, would score 246,522 votes, stressing that the election was fraught with irregularities. He finally urged the tribunal to allow the petition.

 The Chairman of the Three Member Tribunal, Justice P.T Kwahar, lauded the conduct of the counsels to the parties, and therefore reserved his comments for next adjourned date, which he said, would be communicated to the parties for judgment.

Speaking after the court sitting, the Chairman of PDP, Mr. Hamza Koshe Akuyam, and other dignitaries called on members of the public particularly PDP members and supporters to remain calm assuring that Governor Bala Mohammed’s victory at the tribunal is fully assured.