Tension in Bauchi over pending judgement by the Supreme Court

There is heightened tension in Bauchi state as to where the pendulum will swing as regards the final ruling by the Supreme Court of Nigeria between ex-governor Mohammed Abubakar of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who is challenging the victory of governor Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the last 2019 gubernatorial election in the state.

It would be recalled that the apex court headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice Tanko Muhammad had adjourned to Monday, January 20 , the judgement between Mohammed and Abubakar.

The opposition party, APC, in the state had rejected the verdict of the court of Appeal sitting in Jos, Plateau state which upheld the victory of the state governor, Bala Muhammed and the PDP in the last 2019 election, a development which has generated anxiety in the state

Albeit, ex governor Abubakar had lost at the Tribunal sitting in Bauchi and the Appeal court sitting in Jos but he (Abubakar) is not showing no sign of retreat with the legal tussle taken to the highest court in the land.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Chris Uche, who is the lead counsel for Bala Mohammed had said his client is not worried about the adjournment by the apex court.

The legal luminary who spoke in Abuja shortly after the adjournment said he believe that APC will fail on the outcome of the judgment like it failed in both Tribunal and Appeal Court.

According to him, ”they should not be worry on the adjournment of the case as it was usual in the judicial process”

Chris Uche therefore expressed confidence that Governor Bala Mohammed will emerge victorious in the final judgment.

The media aide to ex-governor Mohammed Abubakar , Ali M.Ali had also called on the teeming supporters of APC ‘to remain calm and focused to the very end’

However, a political observer in Bauchi who spoke in confidence with the Nation said ” I think there is a reason for his confidence ( ex governor Abubakar) but what will be the outcome of his coming back. There were so many forces, he will have to contend with in the state”

”Dogara and his people will not leave him alone couple with the fact that the people of Bauchi voted him out of office’:

” If the pendulum swing in favour of APC in the state, there will be serious anarchy which may lead to a declaration of a State of Emergency in the state”

The source added ” The PDP is not shaky for this reasons; the unanimous judgement delivered by both the Tribunal and the Appeal court earlier in its favour”

Also reacting to the court adjournment, a coalition of 16 unions in the state have expressed displeasure over the inability of the court to deliver judgement between Mohammed and Abubakar as earlier scheduled.

The coalition made its position known on Saturday on the delay of the judgement by the apex court.

Members of the coalition alleged that the delay in delivering the judgement is casting doubts in the minds of the citizens of Bauchi state on whether the apex court will do justice in affirming previous rulings on the case.

A coordinator of one of the groups, the kuara patriotic forum, Comrade Ahmad Adamu Umar said “we are notifying the supreme court that the People of Bauchi state have labored through prayers, struggle and hard work to bring this government on board; let no one upturn this popular mandate for any clandestine interest.

“We voted for Kaura overwhelmingly, through popular mandate because it’s our firm believe that he will address the socio economic problems of Bauchi state”, adding that the people of the state will resist any attempt to remove Bala Mohammed as the substantive governor of the state.

Comrade Umar added that “this frequent adjournment of these cases by the apex court is casting doubts in our minds as to whether the court will do justice for the people of Bauchi state.

“We are reminding the court that it is an institution of government that is supposed to be accountable, they cannot be differing cases whose days of judgement have been earlier announced without any justification and convincing explanation as to why they did that”.

“When you do that you are creating an atmosphere of confusion and pandemonium, and this quite unfortunate”, he stated.

The group alleged that the delay by the Supreme Court is giving room for some power brokers to interfere in its quest of justice in delivering the judgment.

Another member of the group, Jafar Adamu of the movement for democracy warned that “The Supreme Court needs to be reminded that in the event it delivers any judgement against the popular mandate that got Bala elected, they are creating an atmosphere of lawlessness that will further deteriorate insecurity in the entire north east”,

Jafar Adamu added that “Bauchi state has always been a tensed state when it comes to politics, because we have a history of uprooting unpopular leaders that have not achieve anything for the state; so we are calling on the Supreme court to stand with the people of the state and do justice to us”.

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