The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has finally declared Governor Ahmadu Fintiri as the winner of the Adamawa State Governorship election in what some might describe as a drama-filled supplementary election in the State.
In last Saturday’s supplementary election, Fintiri, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 9,337 votes, to go ahead of Senator Aishatu ‘Binani’ Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who scored 6,513 votes.
Announcing the final result, the Returning Officer for Adamawa State, Muhammed Melee, declared incumbent Fintiri of the PDP winner on Tuesday after polling 430,861 votes to defeat his major counterpart Aisha Binani of the APC who polled 398,788.
Political intrigues
The announcement of the result at 5.49 pm on Tuesday by INEC was preceded by a series of political intrigues.
The March 18 governorship election in the state was declared inconclusive by INEC, due to the cancellation of the polls in some polling units and wards across the state, with a supplementary election scheduled for Saturday, April 16.
However, on Sunday, as collation was underway, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa Ari, prematurely declared Binani as the winner, contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Section 25 of the Electoral Act, 2022 empowers only the returning officer to announce the result and declare the winner of an election at the state collation centre in the case of the election of a governor of a state.
Incidentally, results had been declared for only 10 of the 20 local government areas (LGAs) in the supplementary poll, which indicated Fintiri was leading, having won in seven LGAs next to Binani’s three.
The declaration by Ari was quickly followed by an acceptance speech by the APC candidate.
However, in a swift reaction after the declaration of Binani as the winner of the election, INEC suspended collation for the Saturday supplementary governorship election in Adamawa state.
The commission in a statement immediately said that the declaration by the Adamawa REC was null, void and of no effect and summoned Ari and other officials involved to Abuja. The commission said the declaration was a usurpation of the powers of the collation and returning officer.
The electoral umpire also said it will write the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba to investigate and possibly prosecute Ari but the police are yet to get the letter.
INEC reached the decision when its national commissioners met at the commission’s national headquarters in Abuja earlier in the day over the election in the state.
It also requested the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, to brief the appointing authority on the unwholesome behaviour of the REC for further action.