THE Adamawa State Governorship Election Tribunal today confirmed Umaru Fintiri’s re-election as the state’s legitimately re-elected Governor in the March 2023 governorship election.
The demands of All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru were rejected by a three-man panel led by Justice Theodora Uloho for lack of merit.
The Tribunal stated in its decision that Fintiri met all of the conditions of the electoral law to be declared the winner, while the petitioners did not prove their case.
Following the Adamawa governorship election, which resulted in a supplementary poll and several contentious moments. The incumbent Fintiri, who ran for reelection, was proclaimed the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) received 430,861 votes at the end of the drama-filled election, which finished in April, defeating Binani, who received 398,738 votes.
Binani and other candidates had petitioned the Tribunal to overturn Fintiri’s election, but the court maintained the incumbent governor’s second-term victory on Saturday.
Recall that Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the then Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State, caused outrage after the supplementary election on April 15, 2023, when he declared ‘Binani’ the winner while the results were still being collated.
The situation compelled INEC to overturn Yunusa-Ari’s judgment and suspend him, while President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a comprehensive investigation into the election commissioner and the security personnel present when he made the declaration.
Following that, INEC declared Fintiri to be the true winner of the election. Yunusa-Ari was eventually apprehended and handed over to authorities for trial.
Binani asked the Tribunal to uphold the result published by Yunusa-Ari and proclaim her the winner with a majority of votes, or to cancel the election and hold a new election.
However, the Tribunal stated in its ruling that Fintiri met all of the legal requirements to be returned and that the petitioners failed to prove otherwise.
The Tribunal noted that the petitioners’ failure to lead and prove evidence on Section 179 of the Electoral Act is fruitless, and in the lack of any other proof, the petition fails and is dismissed.
It went on to say that Yunusa-Ari’s declaration was ultar vires and so null and void.
