Boma Achenimie 
The newly elected Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Babayo Akuyam, has said he would step down for Abubakar Suleiman, depending on the outcome of the re-run ordered by the Court of Appeal.
New Telegraph recalled that the Appeal Court had sacked Suleiman and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a re-run in 10 polling units of Ningi Central Constituency.
It also ruled the same in the case of Suleiman’s Deputy, Jamilu Barade, and asked INEC to conduct a fresh election in nine polling units of Bauchi Central.
Suleiman and Barade’s ordeal created a vacuum in the Assembly leadership, leading to the emergence of the new Speaker, Akuyam.
Speaking with newsmen in his office on Tuesday, Akuyam said, “As a gentleman, I will honourably resign. That is the promise of the entire lawmakers. We all agreed that if he is back, honourably I should step down for him.
“I will honourably resign and give him a chance because I am a gentleman and an honourable; so no problem.”
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Promising to run an inclusive leadership, the meantime, he said he would not breach the agreement he had with his colleagues, considering his age and position in the state.
The lawmaker representing Hardawa Constituency of Misau Local Council of the state was nominated and elected unopposed as the Speaker of the House last Wednesday, last week. His first official duty was the 2024 budget presentation by Governor Bala Mohammed on Thursday.
He said he would be fulfilled even when he stepped down for his predecessor, Suleiman, saying the record would always show that he had been a Speaker.
Suleiman, the immediate past Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, and a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) 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 All Progressives Congress (APC), who scored 15,065 votes.
Abdulmalik-Ningi approached the election tribunal to challenge, but the tribunal dismissed his case and affirmed the victory of Suleiman for a second term in office.
He headed for the Court of Appeal to challenge the tribunal’s ruling. In its judgment on November 24, the appellate court’s three-man panel set aside the judgment of the tribunal and ordered INEC to conduct fresh elections in 10 polling units.
