Tribunal upholds election of Gov Ahmadu Fintiri, dismisses SDP petition

The Adamawa Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Yola on Monday affirmed the election of Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Dr Umar Ardo, and his party had challenged Fintiri’s victory before the tribunal, alleging corrupt practices, threat and violence at the election. 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, 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 Ardo, said the petitioner would file a petition to upturn the verdict. Reacting to the tribunal’s judgment also, Adamawa’s deputy governor, Kaletapwa George-Farauta, described it as victory for democracy.

She said that in spite of the petition, the Gov. Fintiri’s administration would continue to be magnanimous in victory and called on the petitioners to join hands with government in building a new Adamawa.

At the main and re-run election held in Adamawa, Fintiri emerged winner, while Madam Aisha Dahiru, popularly called Binani, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), emerged as first runner-up. For both the main election and the rerun, the governor polled a total of 430,861 votes while the APC candidate scored 398,788 votes.