Updated: Tribunal upholds Bala’s election in Bauchi

The Bauchi state Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal Monday upheld the election of Senator Bala Muhammed as the duly elected governor of Bauchi state.

Delivering the six-hour judgment, the chairman of the three-member panel, Justice Salihu Shuibu, announced the dismissal of the petition by the All Progressives Congress, (APC) and its candidate, Mohammed Abubakar.

The APC and its candidate, the immediate past governor of the state, had asked the court to void the March 9, 2019 election for alleged over voting, gross malpractices and irregularities in Bauchi, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro LGAs of the state.

Abubakar subsequently prayed the tribunal to declare him winner of the election which was concluded on March 23, 2019 during a supplementary election.

The petitioner also prayed the court, to in the alternative, nullified the election in 336 polling units in three local governments of Bauchi, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro LGAs against Bala Muhammed, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the election.

But Justice Salihu Shuibu ruled that the ‎petition brought by the APC and its candidate, against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Senator Bala Mohammed lacks merit.

Delivering his judgement, the three-man panel led by Justice Salihu Shuaibu dismissed the petition in its entirety for failure of the petitioner to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.

The lead Judge said that the petitioners failed to prove their petition beyond reasonable doubt.

“I hereby ruled that the election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator Bala Mohammed is valid,” he declared.


The tribunal had earlier rejected statements on oath of 27 out of 33 witnesses brought by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate.