Binani Loses As Tribunal Affirms Gov Fintiri’s Election

The Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal on Saturday dismissed the petition filed by Senator Aishatu Binani against Governor Ahmadu Fintiri.
The Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Binani, had approached the court seeking to quash the declaration of Governor Fintiri by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as elected governor of Adamawa State, in her petition challenging the governorship election conducted by the electoral body on March 18, 2023.
Binani, in her petition, which had NEC, Fintiri and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the first, second, and third respondents, respectively, asked the tribunal to annul the election over non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
In her lead judgement delivered on behalf of the 3-member panel, the Chairman of the tribunal, T. O. Uloho, dismissed the petition brought by Sen. Binani and affirmed the victory of Governor Fintiri, saying that “The petitioners woefully failed to establish their allegations of non- compliance with the electoral act and prove their case with cogent, credible and satisfactory evidence.”
The tribunal further noted that the court was neither an adjudicator nor an investigator, saying that all the petitioners’ witnesses came with documentary hearsay and failed to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt.
Recall that INEC on April 18, declared Governor Fintiri the winner of the Adamawa governorship election following a supplementary election that was held to conclude the governorship election.
INEC returning officer, Muhammed Mele, declared Fintiri of the PDP winner with 430,861 votes to defeat his major contender, Aisha Binani of the All Progressives Congress who polled 398,788.
In his reaction to the tribunal’s verdict upholding his election, Governor Fintiri said that the judiciary had once again shown in its adjudicatory role that justice is not a stock that is for sale.
The governor who said he would use the victory to work for the exponential growth of his people also extended the olive branch to Binani whose party has indicated it would appeal the court ruling.
Reacting via his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Governor Fintiri said: “Our tribunal’s verdict is a triumph of justice. To my fellow candidates who fought valiantly but didn’t prevail, I extend an olive branch and urge everyone to leave divisive comments behind. Let’s unite and soar on the wings of progress, building a brighter future for Adamawa together.”
Meanwhile, the APC in the state has said it would appeal the ruling.
The party chairman in the state, Barrister Idris Shuaibu, said the court judgement came as a rude shock to the party, adding that it would await the certified true copy of the judgment before taking the next step of seeking judicial review in the appellate court.