Supreme Court fixes new time for judgement on Plateau, Bauchi governorship tussle

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has fixed judgement on Plateau and Bauchi states governorship tussle for 3pm today.

The Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammed was among the dignitaries who arrived at the Supreme Court early Monday morning ahead of its verdict on the state’s March 9 governorship election.

The governor was absent at the court’s sitting last week as he was hospitalised in London.

The rumour that he was bed-ridden forced the Bauchi State Government to dispel reports suggesting that Bala Muhammed cannot be back anytime soon to continue to perform his official duties.

A statement signed by Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Governor, Mukhtar Gidado said, “Some members of the opposition have in the wake of the on-going Supreme Court case, unfortunately insinuated that the governor is in the United Kingdom for the ‘long haul’ because of what they term to be his deteriorating health condition.

At the last sitting of the court, the former governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar, who stepped out of the court raising his hands to signal ‘four plus four’, was pelted with water bottles by persons believed to be supporters of Bala Muhammed.

As the former governor was being whisked away by his security, the angry mob continued to chant “karya ne!” “Barawo!”

The former governor and his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC are challenging the declaration of Bala Muhammed as the elected governor of the state by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The court had earlier in the day dismissed the appeal by Abba Kabiru-Yusuf of the Peoples Democratic Party, challenging the election of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of the All Progressives Party in the March 9, 2019 governorship election.

In a unanimous judgment by a five-member panel led by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, the apex court held that Kabiru-Yusuf has not demonstrated that the concurrent judgments of the tribunal and Court of Appeal were perverse.

Also, the Supreme Court had earlier dismissed the appeal by Ahmed Aliyu challenging the election of Governor Aminu Tambuwal in the March 9, 2019 governorship election in Sokoto State.

In a unanimous judgment by a five-member panel led by Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, the apex court held that Aliyu failed to prove his claims against the election.