The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reserved a ruling in the ongoing legal dispute over the governorship of Adamawa State from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and their respective candidates for the office since December 5. The ruling is now scheduled to be delivered today, December 18.
Adamawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal certified incumbent Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri of the PDP the victor of the elections on March 18, although Senator Aisha Dahiru Binani of the APC is at the center of the disputed election.
According to a notice that was seen by MISMOB and verified as having been sent to the legal teams representing Binani and Fintiri, the Court of Appeal was scheduled to deliver the verdict during the lunch hour.
The notice urged the attorneys representing the two political factions to attend to the notice and be present for the delivering of the decision as stipulated by law.
To assure our reporter that the ruling would be delivered without incident, Bukola Gaa, personal assistant on media to the president of the court of appeal, affirmed the decision of the appellate court and said that the required security arrangements had been made.
The appeal was saved for later consideration on December 5 by a panel of three justices after hearing arguments for and against the election.
The respondents—INEC, Fintiri, and the PDP—via their respective attorneys asked the court to reject the appeal as incompetent and without merit, while a former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice (SAN) named Akin Olujimi—who represented Binani and the APC at the hearing—asked to have the Tribunal’s decision upheld, which had confirmed Fintiri and the PDP’s election.
In October, Binani’s petition for Fintiri’s removal from office was rejected by the Adamawa State Governorship Electoral Petitions Tribunal.
Binani has petitioned the Tribunal to overturn INEC’s proclamation of Fintiri as the election winner.
In her appeal, Binani sought the Adamawa State governorship election petition tribunal to declare the election invalid due to non-compliance with the electoral laws. The petition named INEC as the first respondent, Fintiri as the second respondent, and the PDP as the third respondent.
The Tribunal’s decision, handed down by Justice T. O. Uloho, rejected the petition as unfounded and upheld Fintiri’s triumph as the governor-elect from the March 18 election.
Mismob Media