The Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammad has said that he was momentarily afraid that the Supreme Court would sack him like it did his Imo state counterpart, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha.
He stated this on Tuesday while chatting with newsmen after the apex court affirmed his victory in the March 9, 2019 polls. Both Mohammed and Ihedioha are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Mohammed disclosed that his fears were further heightened by the confidence exhibited by his opponents, prior to the delivery of the judgement.
The Bauchi governor said, “The Imo incident is one of such incidents that is a manifestation of a judicial process.
“It was a very painful outcome for me as a PDP member and as a friend to the former governor who was affected.
“It was something unexpected and I knew what happened to him could happen to anybody.
“Certainly it gave me some fears for the first time, thinking that maybe, the confidence expressed by my competitors had something to do with some assurances in some quarters somewhere, but I still had faith in God.”
Mohammed, who defeated incumbent Governor Mohammed Abubakar in the polls, noted that the priority of his administration was not to probe his predecessor but to extend a hand of friendship in order to take the state to greater heights.
“Investigating the former governor is not what I have come to do, but if, in the course of governance, I find there is anywhere that the government or Bauchi people were shortchanged, I’m not going to let it go,” he said.
The Bauchi governor said if his predecessor decided to contribute his quota to the development of the state by way of offering advice, it would be accepted.
“This is to show that we recognize his position as a former governor and because one day, I also wish to be recognized as a former governor whose opinion would be sought for,” he said.
Recall that the Supreme Court had on Tuesday, Jan.14 nullified the election of Ihedioha and returned Hope Uzodinma of APC as the duly elected governor of Imo.
The Supreme Court verdict on the Bauchi governorship election, which affirmed the election of Mohammed, was delivered on Jan.20, one week after Ihedioha was stripped of his position.
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