Bauchi State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal yesterday reserved judgment in the petition by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress Party (APC), Amb. Saddique Baba Abubakar, challenging the victory of Governor Bala Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 18 governorship election.
This came after parties in the matter had adopted their final addresses.
However, the tribunal said during its sitting that it would communicate a date to deliver its judgment to the parties.
KATAGUM DAILYPOST reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC is the first respondent in the petition while Governor Bala Mohammed and his Deputy, Jatau is listed as the second and third respondent, respectively.
Adopting his final written address, the lead Counsel to the petitioners, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, in his submission argued that what determines the failure or success of a case is the pleadings and evidence laid before a Tribunal.
He cited Section 73, Subsection 2, of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended, arguing that the purported Election in those areas raised in their petition should be declared invalid.
This is as he urged the Tribunal to allow the petition, adding that the Election was fraught with irregularities.
But Counsel to the Respondents, Chris Uche, in their final address, submitted that the tribunal should dismiss the petition filed by the petitioners on the basis that they failed to prove the allegations contained in the petition.
The Counsel to the Respondents argued, respectively, that the March 18th, 2023 Governorship Election held in Bauchi State was conducted substantially in compliance with the principles of the Electoral Act 2022.
He, therefore, urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition.
Kotun sauraren kararrakin zaben gwamnan jihar Bauchi a jiya ta yanke hukunci kan karar da dan takarar gwamna na jam’iyyar All Progressives Congress (APC), Amb. Saddique Baba Abubakar, yana kalubalantar nasarar Gwamna Bala Mohammed na jam’iyyar PDP a zaben gwamnan da aka yi a ranar 18 ga Maris.
Hakan ya biyo bayan bangarorin da ke cikin lamarin sun amince da adireshinsu na karshe.
Sai dai a zaman kotun ta ce za ta sanar da ranar da za ta yanke hukunci ga bangarorin.
KATAGUM DAILYPOST ta ruwaito cewa hukumar zabe mai zaman kanta ta kasa, INEC ce ta fara kara a cikin karar yayin da Gwamna Bala Mohammed da mataimakinsa, Jatau ke cikin jerin wadanda ake kara na biyu da na uku.
Da yake karbar jawabinsa na karshe a rubuce, babban Lauyan wadanda suka shigar da kara, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, a cikin jawabinsa, ya bayyana cewa abin da ke tabbatar da gazawa ko nasarar shari’a shi ne kararraki da shaidun da aka gabatar a gaban Kotun.
Ya bayar da misali da sashe na 73, karamin sashe na 2 na dokar zabe ta 2022 da aka yi wa kwaskwarima, yana mai cewa ya kamata a ce zaben da aka yi a wadannan wuraren da aka gabatar a kokensu bai inganta ba.
Hakan na faruwa ne a yayin da ya bukaci kotun da ta ba da damar shigar da karar, inda ya kara da cewa zaben na cike da kura-kurai.
Amma Lauyan wadanda ake kara Chris Uche, a jawabinsu na karshe, ya gabatar da cewa ya kamata kotun ta yi watsi da karar da masu shigar da kara suka shigar a kan cewa sun kasa tabbatar da zargin da ke kunshe a cikin karar.
Lauyan wadanda ake kara sun yi nuni da cewa, an gudanar da zaben Gwamnan Jihar Bauchi a ranar 18 ga Maris, 2023 mai inganci bisa ka’idar dokar zabe ta 2022.
Don haka ya bukaci kotun da ta yi watsi da karar.