Adamawa Guber: Tribunal affirms Fintiri’s election

On Saturday, the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that was sitting in Yola upheld Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s election.

The petition that was brought against Fintiri’s election by the All Progressives Congress, also known as APC, and its candidate, Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru (Binani), was rejected by the tribunal.

Justice Theodora Obi Uloho, who was presiding over the three-person panel and serving as its chairman, stated that the petitioners were unable to provide evidence to support their claims of violations of the Electoral Act.

She stated that all of the petitioners’ materials were turned over to the tribunal, and that the petitioners’ star witness did not link any of the documents with any of the key charges the petitioners made.

The judge ruled that the petitioners did not prove their argument beyond a shadow of a doubt, and he dismissed the case.

The panel reached the same conclusion as the previous one, which was that the declaration of Binani as the winner of the poll by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, or REC, who had been suspended, Hudu Ari-Yunusa, was invalid.

Justice Uloho made the observation that Hudu engaged in irresponsible behaviour because it is not within his purview to determine who the victor of an election is.

As first, second, and third respondents, respectively, in their petition, Binani and the APC cited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, and the People’s Democratic Party.

On the 6th of May, 2023, Binani and APC jointly filed the petition, saying that the election conducted first on the 18th March, 2023 and the rerun poll on the 15th April, were marred by thuggery, ballot papers and BVA stealing, and harassment of electoral officers. The petition also claimed that the election was conducted first on the 18th March, 2023.

They further alleged that the election was invalidated due to considerable non-compliance with the statutory requirements of the Electoral Act. This, along with the other allegations, indicates that Fintiri was not properly elected by the majority of legitimate votes cast during the election.

Binani sought the tribunal to order INEC to provide her with a certificate of return as the lawfully elected governor of Adamawa State and to proclaim her to have been officially elected and returned as the exercise’s winner. She also requested that the tribunal pronounce her to have been validly elected.

During his response before the tribunal, Fintiri vehemently denied each and every one of the charges that were included in the petition, and he pleaded with the panel to throw out the petition in its entirety.

During a broadcast that Fintiri made immediately after the verdict was handed down on Saturday, he stated that the judicial system had once again demonstrated that judgement is not a commodity that can be purchased by anyone who has the financial means to do so.

He did, however, say that his arms were wide open for genuine reconciliation, and he issued a plea to all of the litigants to join him in creating Adamawa State.