JUST IN: BAUCHI ASSEMBLY ELECTS NEW SPEAKER, DEPUTY

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The Bauchi State House of Assembly has elected Babayo Akuyam as its new Speaker.

He represents Hardawa Constituency in Misau Local Government Area of the state.

The House also elected Ahmed Abdullahi, representing Dass Constituency in Dass LGA, as Deputy Speaker.

This comes barely five days after the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja sacked the then Speaker, Abubakar Suleiman, as member representing Ningi Central Constituency.

Suleiman, the immediate past Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, was declared winner of the Ningi Central Constituency election held on March 18, having scored 16, 866 votes to defeat his closest rival, Khalid Abdulmalik-Ningi of the All Progressives Congress, who scored 15, 065 votes.

Not satisfied with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of the results of the election, Abdulmalik-Ningi, approached the Governorship and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in the state to seek redress but the tribunal dismissed his case and affirmed the victory of Suleiman for a second term in office.

Also not satisfied with the judgment, the APC candidate went to the Court of Appeal to challenge the tribunal’s ruling and in its judgment on Friday, the appellate court’s three-man panel set aside the judgment of the tribunal and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a rerun in 10 polling units.

Barely three days after the sack of Suleiman, the court also sacked his deputy, Jamilu Barade, a member of the PDP, from his position as the member representing Bauchi Central Constituency, and also ordered a rerun in some polling units.

Also not satisfied with the tribunal’s ruling, the APC candidate, Aliyu Ilela, went to the appellate court which granted his prayers and nullified the election because of alleged over-voting. The court also ordered a rerun in some polling units.

But the House in its plenary on Wednesday, elected Akuyam and Abdullahi as Speaker and deputy respectively, unopposed.

The election of the new Speaker followed a nomination by the member, representing Shira Constituency Auwal Hassan and was seconded by the member representing Burra Tanko Ibrahim.

Both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker were sworn in by the Clerk of the House, Umar Gital.

Later, the Speaker was escorted to his seat.

In his acceptance speech, Akuyam thanked God for his emergence as the Speaker and assured the people of the state that his doors will always remain open for positive advice and commended his colleagues for their belief that he can deliver.

According to him, going by the present administration’s ideology the House would do everything possible for the overall development of the State.

Meanwhile, the State Governor, Bala Mohammed, will present the 2024 state budget proposal to the Assembly on Thursday.