The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the win of Bala Mohammed, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the Bauchi State governorship election held on March 18. The court upheld the decision of the Bauchi State governorship tribunal, which had earlier dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar. Air Marshal Abubakar, a former Chief of Air Staff, had challenged the election results.

Delivering the lead judgment on behalf of the three-member panel, Justice Chidiebere Nwaoma Uwa ruled that the appeal lacked merit. Justice Uwa stated that the appellants failed to provide sufficient evidence to support their claim of non-compliance with the Electoral Act by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The appellants alleged that the electoral materials were improperly filled in eight local councils of Bauchi State. However, the court pointed out that the appellants did not present INEC officers, supervisors, or presiding officers to testify and prove that the forms in question were indeed left unfilled and explain the reasons behind them.

Justice Uwa emphasized that although some of the forms presented as evidence had blank spaces, this alone was not substantial enough to invalidate the election. The appellants were unable to establish what information should have been included in those spaces. The judge stated, “The appellants failed to provide specific details, as required, regarding the alleged forms and the missing information.”

Furthermore, Justice Uwa commended the thoroughness of the tribunal’s evaluation of the evidence and deemed the petitioner’s evidence unreliable. Consequently, the appeal was dismissed for the failure of the appellants to substantiate their case.

In summary, the Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld Bala Mohammed’s victory in the Bauchi State governorship election, ruling in favor of the decision made by the Bauchi State governorship tribunal.

Recall that the Bauchi State Governorship Election Tribunal on September 5, 2023, upheld the election of Mohammed as Bauchi State governor. In the judgment delivered by a three-man panel led by Justice P.T Kwahar, the court held that there was no strong reason to nullify the election as it was conducted in compliance with the law. INEC had declared that Mohammed polled 525,280 to beat his closest rival and the candidate of the APC, Abubakar, who polled 432,272.