Onyedika Agbedo
In emerging victorious at the just concluded Bauchi State governorship election, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Bala Abdulkadir Bala Mohammed, has joined the league of Nigerian politicians who disproved the myth of power of incumbency in the country by defeating Governor Mohammed Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
What is, however, spectacular in his victory was the manner in which it was secured. He encountered many hurdles on the road to victory, but overcame all. First was the cancellation of results from Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, a known PDP stronghold in the state, when he was clearly in the lead. The result from the LGA was cancelled on the grounds that it was declared under duress. Consequently, the Returning Officer for the state, Prof Mohammed Kyari of the Federal University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State, declared the election inconclusive. At that time, Mohammed was leading the incumbent governor with 4,059 votes having polled 469,512 votes to Abubarkar’s 465,453 votes. Kyari had also explained
that the number of cancelled votes even without that of Tafawa Balawa LGA stood at 45,000. But INEC’s fact finding committee to the state “established that the number of cancelled votes for the four polling units in Ningi LGA, which was recorded as 25,330 in form EC40G (1) was incorrect. The actual figure is 2,553.” The commission also resolved to re-collate the result of Tafawa Balewa LGA as announced at the polling units, saying they were available, while it fixed the supplementary elections for Tuesday, February 19, 2019. These key decisions further dimmed Abubakar’s chances while Mohammed’s shone brighter. To salvage the situation, Abubakar ran to Aso Rock but President Muhammadu Buhari could not help him in any way. He headed for court to stop INEC, but lost out. In the end, INEC successfully completed the election in Bauchi with Mohammed polling 515,113 to Abubakar’s 500,625.
In his speech after he was declared winner, the governor-elect described the victory as hard-earned, affirming that “I truly understand its meaning.” He added: “At the core of this mandate is the crucial drive to give Bauchi State citizens a better prospect and greater opportunity for a prosperous life; reducing poverty and empowering our citizens in the areas of agriculture, education, urban and rural infrastructure, among others.”
Indeed, he spoke like someone who understands the enormity of the job he is undertaking. He knows that for him to have beaten Abubakar, who got the overwhelming support of the people in 2015, meant that he (Abubakar) had offended the people in one way or the other. So, he must discover his predecessor’s missteps and quickly get into the business of righting them while generally building a template for good governance in the state. He must have learnt through his victory that incumbency factor is no certificate for a second term in office. It only confers an advantage when you have enough democracy dividends to showcase to the people at the end of your first term, and which must pass validity test. So, as Mohammed savours his victory, he seems to know already that he must truly make a difference in the lives of the people or be booted out through the ballot at the appropriate time.
Luckily for him, he is not going into the Bauchi State Government House as a neophyte. The experiences he gathered from his numerous public service appointments, especially during his tenure as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would surely help him in his new assignment. How he brings them to bear on steering the affairs of the state would be seen in the months ahead.
Nevertheless, one thing his admirers would surely want him to do is to complete his tenure without blemish. It could be recalled that since his exit as FCT Minister in 2015, Mohammed has faced corruption probe and trial for alleged abuse of office while he served as Minister of the FCT. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned him before Justice Abubakar Talba of the FCT High Court on May 10, 2017, for alleged involvement in the collection of gratification to the tune of N550 million while in office. The court, however, granted him bail after spending a few nights in the Kuje Prison.
His victory at the polls has automatically put the trial on hold in compliance with Section 308 of the Constitution, which accords elected governors absolute immunity from criminal prosecution. Now, he has a huge opportunity in his hands to prove his integrity in public office without being dragged through the judiciary. The choice is his!
Born in 1958, Mohammed was elected to represent Bauchi South Senatorial District in April 2007. He was appointed Minister of the FCT on April 8, 2010.