Controversial Adamawa Polls: At last, INEC declares Fintiri winner over APC’s Binani

…As IGP withdraws CP appointed for election, orders replacement

…Court declines from ex-parte suit filed by Binani,  Fintiri’s lawyer makes sudden appearance

By Moses Adeniyi

After a contest compassed by political hurdles, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) finally on Tuesday declared Ahmadu Fintiri, as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship election.

The Returning Officer, Prof. Muhammed Mele, declared incumbent Fintiri who ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the election, having polled 430,861 votes to defeat his major opponent, Aisha Binani, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who polled 398,788.

Announcing the result on Tuesday in Yola, the Adamawa State Capital, Prof. Mele, said that the supplementary poll was conducted in 69 Polling Units across 20 Local Government Areas of the State.

“Ahmadu Fintiri of the PDP, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes in the election is hereby declared the winner and returned elected,” he said.

The election had been vehemently contested between the duo, with some dramatic development that generated controversies, particularly climaxing with the odd declaration of Binani by the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Adamawa, Hudu Ari, who on Sunday morning heated the polity by announcing Binani winner while the process  was still clearly not concluded.

After a period of suspense with several calls for the declaration of the authentic winner, INEC on Tuesday reopened the collation centre for the supplementary election results which held in the State last Saturday, April 15, a follow up of the polls of March 18 governorship election in the State which was declared inconclusive by INEC, on the grounds of certain irregularities.

In his acceptance speech after he was declared winner and governor-elect, Fintiri said he was “humbled the more,” congratulating his opponents for their struggle in the gubernatorial contest.

He, however, condemned the action of Hudu who made the odd declaration of announcing Binani as the winner of the election, stating the action “fell below expectation.”

He appreciated the people of Adamawa for voting for his continuity for another four years.

…As IGP withdraws CP appointed for election, orders replacement

Meanwhile, following apprehension which the controversies surrounding the election erupted,  the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, on Tuesday ordered the withdrawal of the Commissioner of Police (CP) on election duty, Mohammed Barde,  with immediate effect and his replacement with the CP in charge of Gombe State, Etim Equa, for election security of controversial supplementary governorship poll.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who made the revelation while addresssing journalists  on Tuesday in Abuja, said that the IGP was committed to a free and fair electoral process.

…Court declines from ex-parte suit filed by Binani, as  Fintiri’s lawyer makes sudden appearance

Meanwhile, in a related development, the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, declined on Tuesday from hearing an ex-parte motion filed by Binani on the election.

The court temporarily declined to hear the motion over issue bordering on jurisdiction.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, rather, ordered the APC candidate’s Counsel, Mohammed Sheriff, to address the Court on the issue of jurisdiction before hearing the substantive motion.

There were surprises in Court on Tuesday upon resumption of hearing on the matter, when Afeez Matomi announced appearance for Governor  Fintiri, the third respondent in the suit, shortly after Binani’s Counsel, Sheriff stood for appearance.

Asked by Justice Ekwo if he had been served, Matomi told the court that though they were yet to be served, they had filed a motion to counter part of Binani’s prayers.

According to him, they got the hint about the ex-parte motion filed by Binani through the social media, and consequently file a motion.

However, the judge who declined to listen to Fintiri’s lawyer, held that it was imperative for Counsel to be guided by the rules.

Justice Ekwo, who ordered Sheriff to address him on whether the Court had the jurisdiction to hear the matter, held that the application would be taken together with the issue of jurisdiction on the next adjourned date.

He consequently adjourned the matter until April 26 for hearing of the motion and an address on jurisdiction.

The Adamawa gubernatorial poll had generated much controversies, particularly with the odd declaration of Binani as winner by Hudu, the INEC REC for Adamawa.

Recall that Hudu, in the early hours of Sunday, sneaked into the State Governorship Collation Centre to declare Binani of the APC as winner of the governorship poll, a development that set the political space on a heat of controversy.

INEC worried by the dent the act is capable of rubbing on its image, suspended Hudu indefinitely from office, following his odd declaration, ordering him to stay away from the office of the Commission in Yola.

The Commission had following the odd declaration, in a tweet on its official Twitter handle on Sunday told Nigerians to disregard the action of the Adamawa REC, who it accused of usurping the powers of the Returning Officer, Professor Mele, and proceeded in announcing the results of the polls that had yet to be tallied and concluded.

Although INEC on Monday condemned Hudu’s action, suspended and warned him to steer clear from its premises over the confusion he set to course on the odd declaration he made of Binani as Governor-elect before the conclusion of the collation process, Governors of the PDP who have Fintiri on their side as the PDP candidate in the election, took a whip on the electoral umpire, demanding declaration of the authentic winner.

Governors on the platform of the PDP under the auspices of the Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum, on Monday condemned in the strongest term the drama which played out from the action of the REC who on Sunday declared Binani, APC’s candidate, winner when ongoing collation of the Adamawa State of the Supplementary Governorship election in relation to the inconclusive March 18 gubernatorial election was yet to to be concluded.

Fuming on Monday, the Governor Aminu Tambuwal-led PDP Governors’ Forum described the act by the INEC’s officer, a show of national disgrace.

Describing the act as perhaps the lowest point of the 2023 General Elections, the PDP Governors Forum had demanded INEC to weed out corrupt and extremely partisan officials.

In a statement signed by the Forum’s Director General, Hon. C.I.D. Maduabum, in Abuja, Monday, the Governors said partisan method of appointment of electoral officials informed what they described as a “national disgrace” in Adamawa State.

“The attempted electoral heist and brigandage perpetrated by the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Hudu Yunusa, is perhaps the lowest point of the 2023 General elections.

“We commend the immediate steps taken by the INEC as an institution to recover its battered image by nullifying the attempted coup and suspending the REC.

“The appropriate Returning Officer, Mele Lamido, should immediately conclude the collation and declare the result.

“One of the most important lessons of this election season is that the integrity of INEC personnel is crucial to free, fair, and credible elections as well as the deployment of technology.

“Going forward, there should be a deliberate process of revisiting the appointments of National and Resident Electoral Commissioners to weed out corrupt and extremely partisan officials. It is the partisan method of appointment of these officials that led to national disgrace in Adamawa State.

“Appropriate sanctions, including prosecution of all those involved, especially the former Resident Electoral Commissioner,  Barrister Hudu Yunusa, should be swiftly commenced to serve as an example to others.

“We enjoin all Nigerians to be on alert as we brace up to emerging threats to our democracy and the struggle for good governance in Nigeria,” they had said.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who is also on the PDP platform, took the conversation further, on Monday calling on INEC to declare the authentic winner of the governorship election in Adamawa state.

In reaction, the presidential candidate of the PDP in the General Elections, Atiku Abubakar, had described the action of Ari as a ploy by INEC “to compromise the electoral wishes of the people of Adamawa State,” with “a preset agenda of declaring the APC at all cost.”

Atiku had said that the Adamawa people won’t avail themselves to be “cheated three times in a row.”

“That the APC candidate has a prepared acceptance speech is a pointer to the guarantee of a false victory which the INEC must have promised her,” he had alleged.