ANXIETY rules the air in Kano, Sokoto and Bauchi States ahead of this week’s ruling of the Supreme Court on the appeals against the emergence of Alhaji Bala Mohammed, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal and Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje as governors of Bauchi, Sokoto and Kano respectively in the March 2019 elections.
Only last Tuesday, the court voided the election of Mr. Emeka Ihedioha as governor of Imo State and ordered that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Hope Uzodinma be sworn in as winner of the election.
The immediate past governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar who contested on APC platform, wants the court to proclaim him as governor while Abba Kabiru Yusuf of the PDP also wants Ganduje sacked for him in Kano. In Sokoto, the APC candidate, Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto, is looking forward to the sack of Tambuwal based on the claims in his petitions. The apex court adjourned the cases to tomorrow.
A coalition of 16 unions in Bauchi State yesterday expressed disappointment over the inability of the court to deliver judgement on the Mohammed and Abubakar case last week as originally scheduled. It said the delay is causing anxiety among the residents.
In Kano, residents were seen in groups discussing the matter in hushed tones. Supporters of Ganduje and Yusuf are hopeful of smiling at the end of the day. The Sunday Nation gathered that some top government officials, Governor Ganduje and party chieftains had travelled to Abuja, where the judgment will be delivered.
A top security source said: “we are aware that the Supreme Court judgment is coming up on Monday, but l want to tell you that for now, we have not received any report capable of putting the state on red alert.
“l can also assure you that the security agencies are ready for any eventuality. However, for now there is no cause for alarm.”
However, spokesman for the Kano state Police command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna told this reporter on phone that, “security is intact as we are monitoring the situation.
Information Commissioner Mohammad Garba said victory is sure for Ganduje, going by the judgments of the Kano Gubernatorial Tribunal and the Appeal Court in Kaduna, which he described as fair and clear.
In Sokoto state, supporters of the ruling PDP and the opposition APC are leaving nothing to chance as the anxiously await the judgement of the apex court. During the week, leaders of the two parties, including Governor Tambuwal and Aliyu, called on the people of the state to remain calm and prayerful. Many other political leaders asked their supporters to seek the face of God as they await the judgement.
Sources within the state told The Nation that last Friday, special prayer sessions were held in many mosques across the state to call for God’s favourable intervention. “Both parties have been praying. The leaders have been calling for prayers and the supporters have been holding special prayer sessions. Last Jumat, several of such sessions were held all over the state. The people are anxious. Both parties are claiming they have good cases and the people are made to believe the case could go either way,” a source claimed.
The supporters of APC were seen discussing that Sokoto State will go the way of Imo State, stressing
Following the sack of PDP’s Ihedioha in Imo state by the Supreme court on Tuesday, APC leaders and supporters in Sokoto state have been likening their case to Uzodinma, saying the Imo judgement has rekindled their hope. “They strongly believe Sokoto would become an APC state after the judgement,” our source added.
“But across the state, PDP leaders and chieftains are unrelenting in their prayers for Governor Tambuwal to come out victorious. They believe he is the choice of the people and as such should be allowed to rule,” another source claimed.
