The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the election of Ahmed Fintiri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the Governor of Adamawa State.
The five-member panel led by Justice John Okoro ruled that the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Aisha Dahiru, a.k.a. Binani, lacked merit.
Recalls that the Court of Appeal in Abuja had earlier affirmed PDP’s Fintiri as Governor of Adamawa after dismissing the appeal of Binani for lack of merit.
The Appellate Court also awarded Fintiri and the PDP the cost of N500,000 in favour of them against Binani in the judgment that Justice Tunde Awotoye prepared and Justice Ebiowei Tobi read.
The court frowned at the premature announcement of the election outcome by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, adding that Binani’s appeal was “plagued by several demons.
”Validating the appellate court’s ruling on Wednesday, Justice Okoro emphasized that under the Electoral Act, the responsibility to declare election results lies exclusively with the returning officer.
He highlighted that this protocol is vital to preventing chaos and anarchy during the electoral process.
The apex court’s ruling thus reinforced the importance of adhering to established electoral guidelines and procedures.
“This ruling puts the legal contestation over the Adamawa State Governorship election to rest and affirms the legitimacy of Governor Fintiri’s victory,” the judge said.
