Admin I Monday, Dec. 18, 2023
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory has reaffirmed Ahmadu Fintiri, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the rightful Governor of Adamawa State.
The court dismissed an appeal filed by Aishatu Binani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for lack of substance.
In delivering the judgement, Justice Ebiowei Tobi labeled Binani’s appeal as lacking merit and upheld the decision of the tribunal, which previously supported the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of Fintiri as the election winner. The court also awarded N500,000 in favor of Fintiri and the PDP.
This ruling echoes the tribunal’s October 28 decision that dismissed Binani’s petition due to insufficient evidence supporting her claims of over-voting. The Returning Officer, Prof Muhammed Mele, declared Fintiri the winner after he garnered 430,861 votes compared to Binani’s 398,788 votes in the supplementary election, further solidifying Fintiri’s victory.
Of note, the court denounced the premature election result announcement made by the former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa-Ari, emphasizing the illegality of his actions. It stressed that only the Returning Officer possessed the authority to declare election results according to the law.
Yunusa-Ari’s premature declaration had stirred controversy, initially stating Binani of the APC as the victor. However, the Federal High Court in Abuja subsequently granted the Independent National Electoral Commission the permission to prosecute Yunusa-Ari. He faces a six-count charge for attempting to assume the role of the Returning Officer for the election.
