I wish to congratulate Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed Bomoi, the All Progressives Congresss (APC) Senator representing Yobe South Senatorial District of Yobe state for winning the case instituted against him by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenging his election on March 23, 2019.
It will be recalled that the Chairperson of the Yobe state election tribunal, Mrs. T.S. Oji, had on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, dismissed the appeal filed at the tribunal by Bomoi’s rival who is the PDP Senatorial candidate during that election in the state. The tribunal dismissed the appeal for lack of merit.
The tribunal had fixed Wednesday after it had listened to the testimonies of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who supervised the election in the constituency made up of Fika, Potiskum, Nengere, and Fika south\
A three-member panel of the tribunal held that the petitioners, Senator Mohammed Hassan and his party, PDP, failed to prove their claims that Bomoi did not win with majority of lawful votes and that the election was held without substantial compliance with the Electoral Act. It therefore dismissed the appeal for lack of merit.
The tribunal’s chairman, Justice Susan Oji, upheld the argument of Bomoi’s lawyer, Akinlolu Kehinde (SAN), that majority of the evidence led by the petitioners’ witnesses were laced with hearsay evidence, to which the tribunal could not attach any probative value. “In the final analysis, I hold that the petitioners failed to prove their case. The petition is hereby dismissed,”
Justice Oji said Hassan, who polled 89,049 votes, alleged that Bomoi, who got 118,729 votes, was allotted invalid votes, adding that the said figures did not arise from the conduct of the February 23 senatorial election. Adopting his written address, counsel to Hassan, Paul Erokoro (SAN), stated that the lawful votes cast during the election were far below what the INEC declared for the election.
According to Erokoro, findings showed that the lawful votes cast during the elections placed his client (the petitioner) to have scored 37,429 votes as against 28,765 votes scored by the respondent. Erokoro stated that the 118,729 votes declared for the APC candidate against 89,049 declared for PDP candidate were not the true reflection of what transpired during voting.
He urged the tribunal to declare his candidate as the true winner of the election due to the irregularities perceived in the 44 political wards, and 553 polling units scattered in the four local government areas of the senatorial district comprising Potiskum, Fika, Nangere, and Fune.
In his reaction to the verdict, Senator Bomoi yesterday commended the tribunal for declaring him the winner of the elections. He described the action of the tribunal as a good omen for Nigeria’s democratic practices.
Bomoi had also used the occasion to thank those who had stood by him since he joined politics like the Governor of Yobe state, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni, Alhaji Ibrahim Geidam, the former Governor of Yobe state, many other prominent politicians and his entire supporters within and outside Yobe state for their understanding, support and cooperation.
It was observed that a mammoth crowd of well-wishers and supporters had thronged the premises of the Jabi court, jubilating after the tribunal had delivered its judgment, which Bomoi described as a sign of good faith.
However, it is pertinent to urge Ibrahim Bomoi, who has been described as a compassionate leader try as much as possible to replicate the type of work he did during his tenure of office as the powerful Director of Treasury at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in his constituency. This action will, no doubt, help to endear him more to his people even though he is already a popular leader even before he joined active partisan politics.
There is need for Bomoi to collaborate his efforts with the local and state governments in view of the numerous problems confronting his own constituency such as inadequate facilities and infrastructure needed for rapid development of the area. His action could also help towards reducing unemployment and other related issues which are rampant all over the North Eastern part of the country. It is because they believe that he is capable of helping them, that is why they elected him.
As an experienced technocrat with vast experience with many years of cognate experience and based on his antecedent and pidegree, senator Bomoi will definitely make a big mark and leave a lasting legacy in his constituency. He is the type of person that his constituency need to move the whole area and even the state forward.
Biu writes from Abuja.
