The Adamawa Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Yola on Monday affirmed the election of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Umar Ardo, and his party had challenged Mr Fintiri’s victory before the tribunal, alleging corrupt practices, threats, and violence at the election.
Mr Ardo, who joined INEC and 16 others as respondents in the election petition, prayed the tribunal to nullify the entire exercise.
Dismissing the petition, however, the chairman of the three-man tribunal, Justice Theodora Uloho, said it was lacking in merit, defective, and incompetent.
“The petition is incongruous and not properly instituted before the tribunal. The petitioners are not certain about what they want,’’ she declared.
In his reaction, Sylvester Emmanuel, counsel to Mr Ardo, said the petitioner would file a petition to upturn the verdict.
Reacting to the tribunal’s judgment, Adamawa’s deputy governor, Kaletapwa George-Farauta, described it as a victory for democracy.
She said that despite the petition, Mr Fintiri’s administration would continue to be magnanimous in victory and called on the petitioners to join hands with the government in building a new Adamawa.
At the main and rerun election held in Adamawa, Mr Fintiri emerged as the winner, while Aisha Dahiru, popularly called Binani, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), emerged as the first runner-up.
For both the main election and the rerun, the governor polled 430,861 votes, while the APC candidate scored 398,788.
(NAN)
