The order follows an ex-parte application filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Governor Mohammed Abubakar, who have expressed displeasure with the electoral commission for cancelling an initially-scheduled supplementary election.
After the collation of results for the March 9 election, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bala Mohammed, polled 469,512 votes while second-placed Governor Abubakar polled 465,453 votes, leaving the margin of victory at 4,059 votes and 45,312 cancelled votes.
According to the "Margin of Lead Principle" contained in Sections 26 and 53 of the Electoral Act and paragraph 41(e) and 43(b) of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines, the commission cannot declare a winner if the number of cancelled votes can mathematically affect the outcome of the election.
On Tuesday, March 12, INEC announced that the supplementary election would take place in Bauchi on March 23, along with five other states (Adamawa, Benue, Kano, Plateau and Sokoto) where governorship elections were similarly inconclusive.
However, the Bauchi supplementary election was cancelled three days later after INEC decided to approve the resumption, conclusion and announcement of result for the Tafawa Balewa local government area of the state which was initially cancelled due to the improper collation of results.
After a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, March 18, Governor Abubakar revealed that he was considering legal action against INEC.
He said the commission's decision was "extra illegal" because only a court could take the decision that it did by cancelling the supplementary election after the initial inconclusive verdict.
While ruling on the motion on Tuesday, March 19, Justice Inyang Ekwo ordered INEC to stop the collation and announcement of the results of Tafawa Balewa LGA as requested by Governor Abubakar and the APC.
He ordered the electoral umpire to halt the exercise until the determination of the suit.
Definite hearing of the suit has been fixed for Wednesday, March 20, 2019.