BREAKING: Bauchi Assembly Elects new Speaker, Deputy after Appeal Court’s ruling

The Bauchi State House of Assembly has elected Babayo Akuyam as its new Speaker on Wednesday, November 29.

Akuyam represents Hardawa Constituency in Misau Local Government Area of Bauchi 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, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was declared winner of the Ningi Central Constituency election 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 (INEC) 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.

The APC candidate went further to the Court of Appeal to challenge the tribunal’s ruling.

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.