The Independent National electoral Commission (INEC) finally declared Senator Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the Bauchi State governorship election after controversial court interference with the electoral process. Bala Mohammed was declared to have got 515,113 votes to defeat the incumbent Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who had 500,625 votes.
The governorship election in the state had earlier been ruled as inconclusive by INEC and March 23 fixed for re-rerun poll in Tafawa Balewa local government area and some polling units in some other local government areas of the State.
INEC later reversed itself as it ordered the collation of the results following a fact-finding report by a panel led by an INEC commissioner Festus Okoye.
Governor Abubakar challenged INEC’s volte-face in an Abuja High court.
The court initially ruled to stall INEC’s action but on Monday, the court gave INEC the go-ahead to conclude the collation after INEC challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain post-election matters. The court admitted lack of jurisdiction on post-election matters before vacating the restraining order on completing the collation of the governorship election result in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area and the announcement of winner of the election by the INEC.
The Returning officer, Professor Mohammed Kyari, declared Bala Mohammed, a former senator and minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the winner of the election on Monday night.
“Bala Mohammed having scored the highest votes and satisfied all the requirements of the law is hereby declared Winner of the Governorship election in the state”, he said.