A’Court upholds Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s victory as Adamawa Governor
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has upheld the victory of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, dismissing the appeal filed by Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a unanimous decision by the three-member panel, the court ruled that the appeal lacked merit. They also stated that the record of appeal used in challenging the judgment of the tribunal was incomplete, making the appeal incompetent.
The court stated that the appellant abandoned the petition at the lower tribunal and failed to provide conclusive evidence to prove allegations of non-compliance. They also criticized the presentation of inappropriate and irrelevant witnesses and documents.
Justice Tunde Awotoye, who delivered the ruling, stated, “We found no reason to set aside the earlier judgment of the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld the declaration of Fintiri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the gubernatorial contest. He also dismissed the appeal, stating, “The evidence of the appellants at the Tribunal was hearsay evidence which deserves to be ignored.”
The court awarded a cost of N500,000 in favour of each of the second and third respondents, Fintiri and PDP.
The decision of the Court of Appeal reaffirms the earlier ruling by the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which upheld the election of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri. The tribunal chairperson, Justice Theodora Uloho, emphasized that the petition failed to establish the allegation of non-compliance with the Electoral Act during the election.
As a result, the victory of Mr Fintiri, who secured 430,861 votes in the election, was affirmed by the tribunal. His closest rival, Ms Binani, scored 398,788 votes but her petition challenging the election results was dismissed.
This decision by the Court of Appeal and the earlier ruling by the tribunal reinforces the legitimacy of Governor Fintiri’s victory in the March 18 election, solidifying his position as the duly elected governor of Adamawa State.
