The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed has urged the opposition to sheath their swords and work in unity for the progress of the state.
Mohammed made the call after the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal affirmed his election on Wednesday.
The tribunal dismissed the petition of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its governorship candidate, Retired Sadique Abubakar.
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The court noted that the petitioner did not establish legitimate grounds for nullification of the election of March in which the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, announced Mohammed as the winner.
Shortly after his court victory in the tribunal headed by Justice P.T Kwahar, Mohammed extended the olive branch to his opponents saying, “Today, the Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal sitting in Bauchi revalidated the mandate that you gave to me last March. It was a profound judgment that will continue to resonate within multiple circles as a demonstration of judicial rigour and commonsense and an affirmation of the sovereign will of the people over political brinkmanship and an entitlement mentality.
“Our victory today is by the grace of Allah who gives power to whom he wishes and takes it without consulting the holder. We are once again reminded that all power is held in trust on behalf of God,” Mohammed said.
He added that “It is an unambiguous statement that despite the mischief of political merchants who arrogate to themselves kingmaker status and deceive some of our unsuspecting compatriots into believing that they can determine the destiny of others, God still reigns in the affairs of all his creations.
“In the nature of things, many of our supporters would expect me to jubilate over the verdict that has just confirmed the overwhelming mandate that they freely gave to me at the last governorship election in the state. Naturally, I am relieved and happy that this distraction has been put aside.
“However, how I wish that we got to this point devoid of the acrimony, the bitterness, the resource haemorrhage, the bickering, the time wasted.
“How I wish that rather than dissipate energy through avoidable litigation, we had all resolved what is a disagreement among brothers through discussion, consultation and unity of purpose.
“How I wish all of us had submitted to the Supreme will of Allah than succumb to our ego and personal fantasies,” he said.
He stressed that “As a constitutionalist who has stood with the law at critical moments in our country’s history, I will be the first to admit that the framers of our constitution did not err by coopting judicial intervention as part and parcel of the electoral process.”
“It is the epitome of our Doctrine of Separation of Powers that gives confidence to the aggrieved not to resort to self-help. It ensures constitutional and social harmony.
“However, I wish to state, with every sense of responsibility, that unbridled litigation continues to wreak incalculable havoc on our body politics, social consciousness and economic progress.
“More importantly, it gives a segment of the populace a false sense of indignation just as it unnecessarily polarises the society. In all sincerity, I do not think it pays to continue this way.
“Now that the tribunal has ruled, it is my candid opinion that it is time to set aside whatever misgivings we may have and move on.
“The task ahead of us is enormous, requiring unity of purpose, a pooling of resources, integration of talents and leveraging the unique attributes of each of the contestants, as we seek to create a better society for our people.
“Against the above background, I solemnly invite my worthy opponents, each of whom is an unqualified success in his own right, to sheath their swords, and to join me in the collective quest to harness the enormous resources of the state to create a modern economy that would benefit everyone within Bauchi State, Nigeria’s pearl of tourism,” the governor added.