Adamawa guber poll
Fintiri wins as court turns down Binani’s motion
- Errant REC to be handed over for prosecution, says INEC *IGP orders redeployment of Police Commissioner
By Tunde Opalana
Incumbent governor, Ahmadu Fintiri was on Tuesday declared the winner of the 2023 Adamawa State governorship election.
His victory came after much furore over the polls which spiraled into a supplementary voting in 69 polling units across 20 local governments councils in the state.
Fintiri, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared winner and Governor- elect by the State Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Mele after scoring a total of 430,869 votes to defeat his closest rival , Senator Aishat Dahiru Binani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who polled a total of 398,788 votes.
The total votes by the two leading candidates came after summing votes received at Saturday April 15 supplementary election in the state.
According to Prof. Mele, Fintiri of the PDP scored 9,337 votes while Binani of APC got 6,513 votes.
Recall that collation of results resumed Tuesday in Yola after a temporary suspension by the National Headquarters of INEC over what it described as ‘usurpation of power of the Returning Officer to announce results and declare winner, by the REC, Barrister. Hudu Yunusa Ari’.
Ari had on Sunday morning against constitutional provision, provision of the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC guidelines unilaterally declared Binani Governor- elect, while collation of the supplementary poll was ongoing.
The Commission went ahead of declaring Ari’s action illegal, null and void to suspend him from office and calling for a thorough investigation and possible prosecution by the office of the Inspector General of Police.
In swift reaction to the declaration of Fintiri as winner, political allies and associates have started congratulating the governor over his reelection.
Presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 polls, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar took to his Facebook page to congratulate Gov Fintiri .
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Atiku said “Congratulations, Gov Ahmadu Fintiri, on your deserved reelection as governor of Adamawa State.
“Thank you to the people of Adamawa and men and women of goodwill for staying the course in resisting coupists and enemies of democracy from having their way.”
He said the lesson from this exercise and others is “the need for Nigerians to be vigilant and never give in to anti-democratic forces whose objective is to snatch, run with and undermine the mandate of the people as freely expressed in their votes.”
Atiku, however sounded a note of warning to the ruling APC that “it is not yet uhuru as we still have one more major mandate to reclaim, and together as one, we shall accomplish the task for the good of our country and its people.”
Also the PDP as a party said Fintiri’s victory connotes triumph for democracy, will of the people of Adamawa State over tyranny and desperate manipulative forces which sought to take over control of the state illegally.
According to the party, the spontaneous jubilation of citizens in Adamawa State and across our nation at the official declaration of Governor Fintiri as the rightful winner of the election irrespective of the nefarious schemes by the rejected All Progressives Congress (APC) is a confirmation that the PDP and its candidate are indeed the choice of the people.
“Governor Fintiri’s overwhelming victory is a validation that the Will of the people cannot be subdued no matter the plot by a tyrannic, domineering and power-grabbing few who, with over-bloated ambition, desperately sought to subvert our democracy, scuttle the electoral process, compromise the judiciary, subjugate the people and impose an unconstitutional regime in the polity.
“The PDP salutes the courage, resilience and determination of the people of Adamawa State in resisting the defeated APC and compromised INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari in their bid to destabilize the State.
“Our Party also lauds the Adamawa State Returning Officer, Mohammed Mele for his courage in standing on the side of justice, due process and democracy in the discharge of his duty.
“The PDP salutes the roles played by the International and domestic election Observers, the Media, Organized Civil Society and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians in ensuring that the mandate of the people of Adamawa State freely given to the PDP and our Candidate, Governor Fintiri, was not hijacked by APC supplanters,” said PDP in a statement yesterday by its spokesperson, Hon. Debo Ologunagba.
Governor elected on the platform of the party under the aegis of the PDP Governors Forum commended INEC for rescuing the process.
The PDP Governors’ Forum said the victory was hard fought and hard won not just for Gov. Fintiri, but also for Adamawa State, democracy and due process in Nigeria.
“Indeed, Nigeria has just been rescued from descent into the abyss. We have just has dodged another bullet.
“We commend INEC for redeeming itself and hopes that this is a harbinger of things to come. It is in this regard that the Commission is requested to promptly re-visit all other elections where infractions have been identified. Where the matters have been taken to the Tribunal, INEC should assume a garb and toga of neutrality and inform the Tribunals of the actual events that transpired in the elections.
“It has been shown by today’s development that INEC can reverse itself where mistakes have been made,” said the Forum in a statement issued by its Director General, Hon. Cyril Maduabum.
The Forum called call on Gov. Fintiri to continue to justify this huge mandate and trust of the people of Adamawa State.
Earlier before Fintiri’ declaration, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asked the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman to investigate case of flouring of electoral rules by state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa Ari and to prosecute him, if need be.
This, seems to be in line with demands made same day by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that Ari should be relieved of his position,prosecuted and jailed for usurping the powers of the Returning Officer for the Adamawa State governorship election, Prof. Mohammed Mele in declaring the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Aisha Dukku Binani as elected governor against the provisions of the law.
Rising from a meeting in which matters arising from the Governorship election were discussed, INEC on Tuesday
decided to: “Write to the Inspector-General of Police for the immediate investigation and possible prosecution of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Adamawa State, Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari.”
The Commission also requested “the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to draw the attention of the appointing authority to the unwholesome behaviour of the REC for further action INEC Nigeria.”
However, INEC assured all parties and stakeholders that the collation process of the remaining results shall resume at a time to be determined by the Returning Officer.
Earlier in the day, the Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Amb. Umar Iliya Damagum at a press conference addressed at the PDP National Secretariat, demanded immediate declaration of Adamawa State Governorship Election results by the Commission.
The party described the action of the Adamawa State REC as “a reckless, inexcusable and unpardonable assault on our Democracy, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC Guidelines and the manifest Will of the people of Adamawa State”, which they expressed in voting enmasse for the PDP.
Damagum said “this action by Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari amounts to a “Civilian Coup” with the intention to take control and install an illegal government in Adamawa State contrary to the provision of Section 1 Sub-section 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
“For clarity Section 1 Sub-section 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides;”The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall not be governed, nor shall any person or group of persons take control of the government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution”.
“The PDP insists that such subversive conduct of Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari must not go unpunished. We restate our demand that INEC should without further delay hand over Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari to the police for investigation and prosecution.”
The party therefore called on the Inspector General of Police to as a matter of urgency, “remove, investigate and sanction the Adamawa State Commissioner of Police for providing cover and enabling the perpetration of this grievous criminal act against our democracy.”
The acting National Chairman said “the PDP, majority of Nigerians and indeed the International Community are now worried that in spite of the results of the election as obtained from the Polling Units, which show Governor Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri in clear lead, INEC has continued to delay the conclusion of official collation, announcement and declaration of the rightful winner of the election.”
The PDP warned that “continuing delay is heightening tension in Adamawa State and is capable of triggering a serious breakdown of Law and Order in the State, which is already overstretched as a result of the many perverse activities of the heavily compromised Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari.’
Said it has become imperative and urgent that INEC “does the needful and save Adamawa State from serious crisis by directing the Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Mele, to immediately conclude collation, declare the final results and return the rightful winner, Governor Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri as the duly elected Governor of Adamawa State.”
In another development, the Nigerian Police hierarchy worried about the role of her men in Adamawa during the controversial polls has also ordered the immediate recall of the Commissioner of Police in the state.
