The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has declared the incumbent governor of Adamawa state, Ahmadu Fintiri, as the winner of the governorship election.
The returning officer for the governorship election, Mele Lamido, declared Fintiri winner of the election, after the collation of the supplementary election results.
The final results showed that Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), scored 398,788 votes, while Fintiri, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), garnered 430,861 votes to emerge winner.
INEC had on March 20, declared the March 18 governorship election in the state as inconclusive.
The collation officer had announced that Fintiri scored 421,524 votes while Aisha Binani, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), polled 390, 275 votes.
He said the margin between the two top candidates is less than the total number of potential voters – 37,016 — in 69 polling units where elections were cancelled.
After the election was declared inconclusive, INEC fixed April 15 for the conduct of the supplementary election.
On April 15, the supplementary election was conducted in Adamawa.
There was controversy at the collation of the supplementary election results after the Adamawa resident electoral commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa-Ari, declared Binani as winner of the election even when the collation of the results was not concluded.
The action of the REC sparked controversy as INEC suspended the collation exercise and asked Yunusa-Ari to stay away from the office.
Meanwhile a federal high court in Abuja has refused to hear an ex-parte application by Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru seeking to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from invalidating her declaration as winner of the Adamawa state governorship election.
Inyang Ekwo, presiding judge, on Tuesday, asked Binani’s lawyer, Mohammed Sherif, to first address the issues of jurisdiction before hearing the substantive motion.
The court ordered Binani to file her address on whether the court has jurisdiction to hear the application within two days.
Afeez Matomi, counsel to Ahmadu Fintiri, governor of Adamawa, who was in court was not allowed to make submissions since the APC candidate brought the action through an ex-parte application.
The matter was adjourned till April 26.