The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal filed by Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, popularly known as Binani, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging the election of Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the governor of Adamawa State.
Justice John Okoro, who delivered the judgment on Wednesday, condemned the actions of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Ari, describing them as irresponsible and criminal. The judge held that only the designated returning officer possesses the authority to announce election results.
Binani’s legal challenge, which had previously been rejected by both the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, centred on alleged non-compliance with electoral regulations by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Fintiri, who was first elected as governor in 2019, secured a second term in office after winning the 2023 gubernatorial election held on Saturday, March 18. He polled 430,861 votes to defeat his closest rival Binani, who garnered 398,788 votes.
The final results were announced by the INEC Returning Officer in the state, Mohammed Mele, who declared that Fintiri won the supplementary election with 9,337 votes, while Binani got 6,513 votes.
Fintiri, who had previously served as the Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly and the acting governor of the state in 2014, is widely regarded as a reformer and a visionary leader. He has initiated several development projects in the areas of education, health, infrastructure, and security in the state.