On Friday, the Abuja Division of the Appeal Court upheld the triumph of Governor Bala Mohammed in Bauchi State’s March 18 governorship election, dismissing the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Sadique Abubakar.
The three-member panel unanimously ruled with no costs awarded, stating that each party should bear its expenses.
The judgment addressed the appellant’s pleas in sequence. Firstly, the court rejected the appeal’s request to nullify the election due to allegedly improperly filled forms and booklets, citing the appellant’s failure to substantiate this claim with adequate evidence.
The court emphasized the appellant’s inability to specify the involved polling units or identify the missing details in the forms.
Concerning the appellant’s assertion of massive non-compliance with electoral laws, the court ruled in favor of Governor Mohammed, pointing out that the appellant failed to prove this claim, as some witnesses did not vote on election day.
On the plea about fraudulent cancellations, mutilations and alterations to favour the PDP candidate, the appeal court noted that, if proven, falsification of results is a criminal matter that could lead to the cancellation of election results.
However, according to the court, the appellant had the burden to prove this and had to bring the genuine one, if he argued the one tendered by INEC was falsified.
The court noted that the appellant, unfortunately, could not prove this. The court also said the least the appellant could have done was present a genuine result along with the said falsified one.
On the alleged unprofessional conduct of INEC officials, the court aligned with the tribunal, stating that this issue was not part of the appellant’s plea at the lower court and, therefore, could not be argued.
