The Supreme Court of Nigeria has postponed its decision on the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Aisha Dahiru, also known as Binani, against the election victory of Ahmadu Fintiri, the governor of Adamawa State.
The decision was made on Monday by a panel of five judges led by Justice John Okoro after listening to arguments from all parties involved in the case. The legal dispute arose from the events that followed the Adamawa governorship election.
Initially, on March 20, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the election inconclusive.
The returning officer, Mele Lamido, stated that Fintiri received 421,524 votes, while Binani received 390,275 votes.
The difference between the two leading candidates was smaller than the total number of potential voters – 37,016 – in 69 polling units where the elections were canceled. This necessitated a supplementary election scheduled for April 15.
Controversy arose following the supplementary poll in Adamawa State. Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the former resident electoral commissioner (REC), who has been suspended, declared Binani the winner before the polls were completed and in the absence of the returning officer.
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) invalidated this announcement and proceeded with the collation of results. The final count revealed that Binani received 398,788 votes, while Fintiri emerged as the winner with 430,861 votes.
Following these events, Yunusa-Ari was arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution. Prior to the case reaching the Supreme Court, both the state election petition tribunal and the Court of Appeal had dismissed Binani’s petition against Fintiri’s victory.
Now, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate are seeking justice at the highest court, hoping for a favorable judgment.
