Court declines to hear Binani’s ex-parte application on Adamawa guber tussle

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday refused to entertain the ex-parte application brought before it by Senator Aisha Dahiru Ahmed, also known as Binani, the Adamawa governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the 2023 election result declaration tussle.

The ex-parte application filed by her lawyer, Mohammed Sheriff, asked the court to determine whether the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, can take any further steps on the declared governorship election results made by its Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mr Hudu Ari.

However, when the ex-parte motion was about to be moved, Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo cut in and asked Binani’s lawyer first to address him if his court had jurisdiction to entertain such a matter.

The Judge subsequently gave Binani’s counsel to file his address on the issue and fixed April 26 for hearing of the ex-parte application and the motion on whether the court has jurisdiction.

Earlier, another lawyer, Afeez Matanmi, who claimed to be counsel to the incumbent Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, had sought to address the court but was shut out on the ground that the issue before the court was an ex-parte application for now.

Defendants in the ex-parte application are the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Ahmadu Fintiri.