Supreme Court Has Put Bauchi Undertakers to Shame – By Sanusi Muhammad

“The affirmation of Governor Bala Muhammed’s gubernatorial victory by the Supreme Court has rekindled hope in the judiciary and the democracy. It was a credible judgment neither to be faulted nor challenged by any sincere democrat. It was a fact-based judgment. Bauchi State electorates are proud of the judgment and not because it favored them but because it was objective, down to earth, credible and an added confidence in the judiciary”…………

Mouktar Gidado In the Supreme Court lead judgment of Friday, January 12, 2024 by Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, the apex court affirmed the judgment of the Court of Appeal of November 17, 2023 which upheld the election of governor of Bauchi State from the March 8, 2023 gubernatorial election.

Bala’s opponent had probably all along relied on an expected influence from President Tinubu to fight their battle against the anointed. They engaged the service of marabout, cultists, Babalawos and those renowned Bauchi State inconsequential politicians, hypocrites, the Darazos, Gamawas, Adamus etc to scuttle the mandate given by the majority through their usual wuru wuru ways of doing things.

They thought Bala Muhammed was a pushover and an orphan in the strenuous legal battle to retain his mandate, forgetting that God is always by the side of truth.

Bala knows no any other person to influence any judgment to his favor than Allah (SWT). He believes in the Supremacy and Power of God. And God finally, on Friday January 12, 2024, put the daylight political robbers on a snatching mission through the court to shame.

Governor Bala Muhammed scored 526, 280 clean and clear votes to silence his closet opponent who had a misery 492, 272 trailing far behind with a gap of over 93,000 votes that he wanted voided.

Since the conclusion of the March gubernatorial election, a lot of commentaries were said on the 2023 concluded elections in Bauchi State with emphasis on the gubernatorial election. The result of the election was a subject of litigation until January 12th when it was finally put to rest by the Supreme Court despite baseless efforts by some charlatans claiming to be close to the federal might to twist the hands of justice against the franchise of the majority. Few men dominated the discourse in a phantom battle for the soul of the State, founded more on speculation than credible facts. Two of the men were the re-elected governor, Sen. Bala Muhammed and the now drowned APC gubernatorial candidate, Air Marshal Sadeeq Abubakar (rtd).Both were strong contestants. One may be described as the wind, while the other, the fire. The fire and wind adumbration of these two great persons most point to their characteristic strength but it also spoke to their modus operandi.

While one of them expressively moved the heaven and the earth towards achieving any objective that won his conviction, the other summoned the same momentum to achieve what he believed was in the best interest of the ordinary people but the major difference in style was that Sadeeq Abubakar was not often seen as a coming governor unless by his apologists and appendages. He was the wind and Sen. Bala the fire. But make no mistake, both men were tough as steel in the game.

Bala Muhammed deployed experience, tolerance and patience to cut the wings of Sadeeq to size at the most appropriate time in the campaign.

Sadeeq had wanted to be a governor at all cost not minding his deficiencies and lack of political base. He was not prepared for the game according to the rules. He overrated himself and probably rated Bauchi State as another ‘Simbasa’ or the impoverished Chad Republic where he served.

While enveloped in an aggravated mental illusion surrounded by grave diggers and undertakers who joined his train for free feeding and stipends from a source now under probe, other credible APC stalwarts including the state chairman, kept their distance from the struggle watching how the drama was unfolding. The busy-bodies were living in fool’s paradise expecting victory at ease. The situation was at the advantage of the PDP that respected the rules.  Many who reasoned critically with interest beyond pecuniary will tell you without equivocation that the two men are among the best things that happened to Bauchi State in the last two decades.

Those who are familiar with Bauchi State political terrain before 2019 when it was a pile of rubbles understand why Governor Bala Muhammed must always be respected. It is glaringly that it is Bala Muhammed who returned the consciousness of the social contract between the people and government. During the past years of the locusts, the people were abused to the point of amnesia and the leaders of the government of those dark days carted away the people’s wealth including properties. Meanwhile, Sen Bala Muhammed on assumption of office on May 29, 2019 took to excellence in governance beyond the very high standard set by his predecessors, bringing more credit to governance.

In these days of rapid evolution in information and communication technology, all that one needs is to put a call to someone that resides in any part of Bauchi State or regular visitor to the state to confirm the feat achieved by Governor Bala Muhammed in his/her habitat within four years in a global economic recession period during Covid-19 pandemic.

Conduct a street survey in Bauchi State today on the effectiveness of Governor Bala Muhammed’s government provided you speak to the real electorate that nurture no selfish interest, you are likely to get a 90 percent approval and support rating.

Sen. Bala Muhammed in truth is not a tourist in Bauchi State or its grave digger but a focused workaholic that believes in positive results. The real enemies of the State are the commentators and purveyors of baseless conspiracy theories, blinded by their vested interests and planned to return the state to its inglorious days of underdevelopment and political thuggery as they displayed during the 2023 electioneering campaign but tamed by the Kaura magic wand.

Wonders never end as some sworn opponents of Governor Bala Muhammed before the elections, became his overnight friends and claimed to be garrison commanders in his re-election battle. The hatred exhibited towards Bala Muhammed by those charlatans was deeper than that of ancient Greece against Troy but suddenly pretended to be his friends to perfect their hatchet job against his interest and that of his teaming supporters across the state.

All these enemies of Bauchi State have seen the beauty of the place where the official not political working alliance between President Tinubu and one of his most trusted governors, Bala Muhammed, has taken Bauchi State and they hope their lies and false allegations of conspiracy theories against Governor Bala Muhammed could truncate the journey to glory forgetting the fact that Bala Muhammed and Bola Ahmed Tinubu are patriots that share several progressive ideas not minding political party difference.

Bala’s detractors know that the death kernel of their politics of self-aggrandizement is engrained in his second term and they hoped to hoodwink other innocent prominent personalities to work with them to tear down the glorious house Governor Bala has been laboring to build since 2007.If Governor Bala Muhammed along with some patriots are the same people who fought for the liberation of Bauchi State from the chains of former oppressors, then I am certain they will not condescend to the point of sending Bauchi State back into the gallows by helping hungry hyenas find the path to Bauchi Government House even in 2027.They have seen the vision of the greatness which Bauchi electorates saw in Governor Bala Muhammed’s play out to perfection. They watched how he has won the hearts and minds of the ordinary people with development strides and social services.

Some of the governor’s enduring projects include revamping of the Basic Education sub-sector through the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), regeneration of towns and cities through massive infrastructure development; reforms in the civil service, comprising steady payment of salaries and migration to the contributory pension scheme and development of affordable housing among several others.

Most of the projects, especially the road projects, dot cities and towns in Bauchi State and endears the governor to the people.

The discontinuation of these legacies was the target of the enemies of Bauchi State, who beat the drums of war in the State and hoping Bala’s teaming supporters may eventually dance to their evil tune which they rejected in unison.

But as Governor Bala Muhammed has severally asserted, there is no rift between him and any person, he only believes in paying attention to the transformation objective of Bauchi State through the cooperation and loyalty of all. So, those merchants of hate are doomed to kiss the ground as usual. As enemies of Bauchi State development, they stand no chance in enthroning reign of chaos in the State. Bauchi people want continuation of development. That is why they will always stand by Bala Muhammed anytime so that he can consolidate on his developmental strides and enthrone the extremely bold vision he has for Bauchi State his ancestral home.

The Supreme Court on Friday, January 12, 2023, in its wisdom, affirmed the election of Governor Bala Muhammed as the bona fide elected Governor of the State. It has now rested the battle for the occupation of Bauchi Government House that was at no time vacant for a new occupant. The rest is for history!

Muhammad is a commentator on national issues

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