JUST-IN: Appeal Court Sacks Bauchi Speaker

The Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on Friday, sacked the Speaker of Bauchi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abubakar Suleiman, as the member representing Ningi Central state constituency in Bauchi State House of Assembly and declared the March 18, 2023 election in the constituency as inconclusive.

The appellate court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commision (INEC) to conduct fresh election in 10 polling units in Ningi Central Constituency.

Recall that Arch. Khalid Abdulmalik Ningi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had challenged the declaration of the Rt. Hon. Suleiman as the winner of State Assembly election for Ningi Central Constituency, but the Bauchi State National/State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal dismissed the case for ‘lacking in merit’.

Dissatisfied with the verdict, Arch. Ningi approached the Appeal Court to challenge the electoral victory of Sulaiman.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja eventually set aside the judgement of the Election Petitions Tribunal, which earlier affirmed the electoral victory of Suleiman as member representing Ningi Central in the State Assembly.

Reacting to the judgement, Rt. Hon. Suleiman urged his supporters and all people of the constituency to remain calm.

He said that although the judgement was unfavourable, as a Muslim, he believes in fate, hence he accepted the judgement in good faith.

While describing the judgement as a minor political setback which is not new in his political career, the Speaker said that he was ever ready for the rerun election.

Suleiman, in a statement by his media aide, Abdul Ahmad Burra, stated that the support and solidarity he has been enjoying in Ningi remained intact and no amount of effort to pull him down will succeed.

He added that conducting a rerun in 10 polling units that are his stronghold was just like a walkover, wondering why his opponents insisted on extending their pain of election defeat.

He said that with the unprecedented infrastructural development initiated by Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed in Ningi local government area, PDP remains unbeatable.

The ousted Speaker further said that he will not relent in his effort to bring dividends of democracy to the people of Ningi Central Constituency no matter how some elements keep trying to pull him down.