Politics
Adamawa Gov’ship Tussle: Supreme Court Reserves Judgment On Binani’s Appeal
The Supreme Court, on Monday, reserved judgment on an appeal the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Senator Aisha Dahiru, popularly known as Binani, filed to challenge the outcome of the governorship election that held in Adamawa State on March 18, 2023.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Inyang Okoro, adjourned the matter for judgment, after all the parties adopted their final briefs of argument.
Specifically, the appellants, through their legal team headed by Chief Akinolu Olujimi (SAN), prayed the court to sack Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State from office.
They urged the Supreme Court to set aside the concurrent verdicts of the Court of Appeal and the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which upheld Fintiri’s re-election.
Binani maintained that she polled the majority of valid votes cast at the election and was validly declared the winner by the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC.
However, Fintiri, through his lawyer, Mr. Damian Dodo (SAN), urged the apex court to dismiss the appeal and validate his election victory.
The appellate court had, in a judgment it delivered on December 18, 2023, dismissed Senator Dahiru’s appeal, even as it awarded a cost of N1 million against her.
While affirming the election of Governor Fintiri, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the appellate court held that Senator Dahiru’s appeal was vague.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had at the end of a supplementary election held in Adamawa State, announced that Fintiri polled 430,861 votes to defeat Binani of the APC who got a total of 398,788 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, Binani approached the tribunal. She alleged that the election was fraught with corrupt practices and manifest non-compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.
She urged the Justice Theodora Obi Uloho-led tribunal to declare that she was the valid winner of the governorship election. The panel refused and dismissed her petition.
While affirming the decision of the tribunal, the appellate court, in its lead verdict that was read by Justice Ebiowei Tobi, held that the 27 grounds of appeal the APC candidate brought before it, lacked competence.
It held that the appellants failed to, by way of credible evidence, substantiate the allegations they raised against the outcome of the election. It stressed that their claim that electoral fraud took place in 14,104 polling units in the state was not proven.
More so, the court noted that the record of proceedings transmitted from the tribunal, as well as the briefs of argument that were filed by the appellants, were incomplete.
The appellate court further emphasised that only a Returning Officer at an election has the statutory power to declare the results of the election.
It will be recalled that the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had earlier granted INEC the permission to prosecute its suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari.
Yunusa-Ari is facing a six-count charge over alleged unlawful role he played in the Adamawa State governorship election held on March 18.
INEC had initially declared that the gubernatorial election was inconclusive and ordered a supplementary poll.
However, midway into the collation of results of the supplementary poll held on April 15, the suspended Adamawa REC, Yunusa-Ari, sidelined protocols and announced the APC candidate, Binani, as the winner.
The action elicited instant reactions. The electoral body not only voided Yunusa-Ari’s action but equally placed him on an indefinite suspension.
During a press conference held in Owerri, the coalition called the campaign a “dangerous and shameful display” designed to distract the public from the governor’s performance in office.
The CSOs directly linked the Greater Imo Initiative (GII) —the group that made the allegations on September 4, 2025—to Governor Uzodimma, describing the group as his “mouthpiece and attack dog.”
“Every word spoken against INEC was spoken on his behalf.
“By falsely alleging that Professor Yakubu has an alliance with Dr. Amadi to compromise the 2027 elections, Uzodimma has not only maligned a man of proven integrity but also assaulted the very foundation of our democracy”, said Dr Agbo Frederick, speaking for the coalition.
The coalition described Professor Yakubu as a “beacon of electoral professionalism” and called the attempt to soil his reputation “defamatory and a national security risk.”
They also defended Dr. Amadi, a “respected development scholar,” stating that the governor’s accusations were “laughable, desperate, and dangerous.”
The CSOs see the motive behind the campaign as an attempt to “silence the dissent, intimidate the opposition, and divert attention from the governor’s abysmal record in office.”
The coalition issued four key demands to Governor Uzodimma: An immediate retraction of the false and defamatory allegations against Professor Mahmood Yakubu and Dr. Chima Amadi.
- A public apology to both men within seven days, to be published in at least three national newspapers and broadcast on major television networks.
- An end to diversionary tactics and proxy propaganda.
- A renewed focus on governance, including addressing insecurity, unemployment, and poverty in Imo State.
The CSOs warned that failure to comply would force them to “review our position with a view to seeking legal redress from Governor Uzodimma for defamation, false accusation, and reckless endangerment of lives.”
“Governor Uzodimma must be reminded that he did not find himself in the seat of power to chase shadows.
“We call on all Nigerians to reject Uzodimma’s diversionary antics as they are nothing short of desperate plots by a government terrified of accountability”, the statement concluded.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern that preventing the senator from resuming her legislative duties violates democratic principles and disenfranchises her constituents.
“The suspension, having been imposed by the Senate and not a court of law, has lapsed. Any further attempt to prevent her from resuming is therefore both illegal and morally indefensible,” Mallam Abdullahi said.
The party noted that denying Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan access to the chamber silences the voice of the people who elected her, adding that the withdrawal of her salary, aides, and office access during the suspension amounted to excessive punishment.
The ADC also criticised the Clerk of the National Assembly for declining to process her resumption on grounds that the matter was before the courts, arguing that the Clerk’s role was administrative, not judicial.
“Administrative caution must not translate into complicity. When the administrative machinery becomes hostage to political interests, the institution itself is diminished,” the party stated.
Highlighting that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of only four women in the 109-member Senate, the ADC warned that the handling of the case sends a discouraging signal about gender inclusion in Nigerian politics.
“Any action that resembles gender intimidation of the few women in the Senate would only discourage women’s participation. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while excluding half of its population from key decision-making spaces,” Mallam Abdullahi added.
The ADC insisted that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan be allowed to resume her seat immediately, stressing that the matter was about more than one individual.
“What is at stake here is not just one Senate seat, but the integrity of our democracy itself,” the party said.
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