Adamawa Election: Tribunal Dismisses Suit Challenging Fintiri’s Victory
The Adamawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Yola the Adamawa state capital has dismissed a petition by the Action Peoples Party (APP) and its substituted candidate, Bitrus Meda, challenging the victory of Umaru Fintiri as Governor.
The APP and Bitrus Meda had asked the tribunal to nullify the election because they were excluded ‘unlawfully’ from the election.
Delivering judgement on the petition on Saturday however, the tribunal said it could not grant the prayers of the petitioners because they failed to give valid proof of their claim of unlawful exclusion.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had presented the name Rukaya Audu as the APP candidate for the last governorship election because although Rukaya Audu who was the original candidate had announced intention to withdraw from the poll, she did so only verbally.
The APP which had relied on that verbal action of Rukaya Audu to substitute her with Bitrus Meda, went to the tribunal after INEC had gone ahead to print Rukaya Audu on the ballot, resulting in a 180-vote for the APP with Rukaya Audu as the candidate and not Bitrus Meda.
Chairman of the governorship election petition tribunal, Justice Adediran Adebara, who read the text of the judgement, says the petitioners has no valid case, considering the issues around it.
He, therefore, dismissed the petition and awarded legal cost of N1 million against the petitioners.
In response to the judgment, Counsel to the respondent Tahir Shehu describes the petition as frivolous which the Tribunal has confirmed. While Counsel to the petitioners, Solomon Garba, while reacting on the ruling says they had accepted the judgment in good faith.
