21st January, 2020
Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State said on Tuesday that the sacking of Emeka Ihedioha (PDP) as Imo state governor by the Supreme Court rattled him momentarily as he had feared same fate might befall him.
Speaking while interacting with newsmen, Mohammed said his fears were further heightened by the confidence exhibited by his opponents, prior to the delivery of the judgement on the Bauchi governorship election.
“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,” he narrated.
Mohammad also stated that the priority of his administration was not to probe his predecessor , but to extend a hand of friendship 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.
Mohammed 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 recognise his position as a former governor and because one day, I also wish to be recognised as a former governor whose opinion would be sought for,” he said.
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.