Adamawa: Tribunal Gives Verdict On Fintiri, Binani’s Governorship Election

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Umaru Fintiri, has defeated his rival, Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Adamawa State Governorship Election Tribunal.

Naija News reports that the Tribunal on Saturday affirmed the election of Fintiri as duly re-elected Governor of the State in the March 2023 governorship election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the incumbent governor, who sought reelection, as the winner of the Adamawa governorship election, which dragged into a supplementary poll and some controversial moments.

At the end of the drama-filled exercise, which ended in April, Fintiri polled 430,861 votes, defeating  Binani, who got 398,738 votes.

APC and its candidate, alongside other contestants, had filed a petition against the declaration of Governor Fintiri as the winner of the gubernatorial election in the State, alleging extensive violations of the electoral law and fraudulent voting practices in their petition.

However, the court on Saturday upheld the second-term victory of the incumbent Governor.

It would be recalled that the 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 prompted INEC to nullify Yunusa-Ari’s decision and suspend him, while former President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a full investigation of the electoral commissioner, and the security personnel around him when he made the declaration.

Yunusa-Ari was later arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution.