From Paul Orude, Bauchi
The Bauchi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has affirmed the victory of Governor Bala Mohammed of PDP.
The tribunal dismissed the petition filed by APC and its governorship candidate, former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.
The Justice P.T Kwahar-led three-man panel stated that there was no strong reason to nullify the election because it was conducted in compliance with the law.
Mohammed polled 525,280 votes to beat Abubakar who got 432,272 votes.
The governor hailed the verdict of the panel as a profound judgment that will continue to resonate within multiple circles as a demonstration of judicial rigour and commonsense and an affirmation of the sovereign will of the people over political brinkmanship and an entitlement mentality
“Our victory today is by the grace of Allah who gives power to whom he wishes and takes it without consulting the holder. We are once again reminded that all power is held in trust on behalf of God.”
He said despite the mischief of political merchants who arrogate to themselves kingmaker status and deceived some unsuspecting compatriots into believing that they can determine the destiny of others, the judgement indicated that God still reigns in the affairs of all his creations.
“In the nature of things, many of our supporters would expect me to jubilate over the verdict that has just confirmed the overwhelming mandate that they freely gave to me at the last governorship election in the state.
“Naturally, I am relieved and happy that this distraction has been put aside.
“However, how I wish that we got to this point devoid of the acrimony, the bitterness, the resource hemorrhage, the bickering, the time wasted.
“How I wish that rather than dissipate energy through avoidable litigation, we had all resolved what is a disagreement among brothers through discussion, consultation and unity of purpose.
“How I wish all of us had submitted to the Supreme will of Allah then succumbed to our ego and personal fantasies.
“As a constitutionalist who has stood with the law at critical moments in our country’s history, I will be the first to admit that the framers of our constitution did not err by co-opting judicial intervention as part and parcel of the electoral process.
“It is the epitome of our Doctrine of Separation of Powers that gives confidence to the aggrieved not to resort to self-help. It ensures constitutional and social harmony.”