The Adamawa State Governorship Election Tribunal on Saturday affirmed the re-election of Alhaji Umaru Fintiri as governor of the state in the March 2023 governorship election.
The three-man panel, led by Justice Theodora Uloho, struck out the demands of All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru for lack of merit.
In its ruling, the tribunal said that Fintiri fulfilled all the requirements of the electoral law to be returned as winner while the petitioners failed to prove their case.
After the Adamawa governorship election which dragged into a supplementary poll and some controversial moments. the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared incumbent Fintiri who sought reelection as the winner.
At the end of the drama-filled exercise which ended in April, Fintiri, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 430,861 votes, defeating Binani who got 398,738 votes.
Binani and some other contestants had approached the Tribunal seeking the nullification of the victory of Fintiri but the court on Saturday upheld the second term victory of the incumbent governor.
Earlier, the then Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, had courted controversy after the supplementary election on April 15, 2023, when he announced ‘Binani’ as the winner of the dramatic poll while the collation of results was ongoing.
The situation had prompted INEC to nullify Yunusa-Ari’s decision and suspended him while then President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a full investigation on the electoral commissioner and the security personnel that were around him when he made the declaration.
INEC had thereafter concluded the election and announced Fintiri as the authentic winner of the drama-filled poll. Yunusa-Ari was later arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution.
Binani prayed the Tribunal that the result announced by Yunusa-Ari be upheld and she should be declared winner having secured majority votes or the election should be cancelled with a demand for fresh poll.
However, the Tribunal, in its ruling, said that Fintiri fulfilled all the requirements of the law to be returned and the petitioners failed to prove otherwise.
The Tribunal noted that the failure of the petitioners to lead and prove evidence on Section 179 of the Electoral Act is futile and in the absence of any other evidence to that effect, the petition fails and is accordingly dismissed.
It stated further that the declaration made by Yunusa-Ari was ultar vires, null and void.
Soon after the ruling, PDP supporters thronged the Tribunal premises chanting solidarity songs in jubilation.
Speaking shortly after while addressing the media, Fintiri commended the judiciary and described the judgment as a victory for democracy and the people.
