The Bauchi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has confirmed the victory of Governor Bala Mohammed in the gubernatorial election held on March 18, 2023.
The tribunal’s Chairman, Justice P.T Kwahar, delivered this judgment on Wednesday, dismissing the petition brought by Air Marshal Sadique Abubakr (rtd), the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate who contested the election results.
The tribunal’s ruling was based on the petitioners’ inability to substantiate their claims of non-compliance with electoral regulations, electoral irregularities, and the alleged misuse of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (B-VAS) machines in certain polling units across several local government areas, including Toro, Dass, Zaki, Itas-Gadau, Alkaleri, Bauchi, Tafawa Balewa, Ningi, Dambam, and Ganjuwa.
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Justice Kwahar asserted that there was a lack of substantial evidence to support the allegations of BVAS manipulation.
He further clarified that the witnesses presented by the petitioner relied on hearsay, as they were not physically present at the polling units in question. Consequently, the tribunal found that the petitioner failed to establish, beyond reasonable doubt, that the APC candidate had won the election.
In the end, Justice Kwahar declared, “This court, therefore, affirms the second respondent as the duly elected governor of Bauchi state as declared by the first respondent in the course of the governorship election held on the 18th of March, 2023.”