Supplementary Election: INEC Voids Declaration of Binani as Adamawa Governor elect
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has voided the declaration of Senator Aishatu Dahiru popularly known as Binani, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the supplementary governorship election in the state.
The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunus Ari, had today declared Binani governor-elect midway into collation of results of the supplementary election, which was held on Saturday, April 16, instead of the INEC Returning Officer empowered by the Electoral Act (2022) to make such a pronouncement.
Ari announced that Binani defeated the incumbent governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was leading before the supplementary election.
Governor Fintiri had the highest number of votes cast in the governorship election held on March 18, but some votes were cancelled, and the election could not hold in some parts of the state, forcing INEC to declare the exercise inconclusive.
Fintiri polled 421,524, while Binani secured 390, 275 in the March 18 election.
The Commision had on twitter accused the REC of declaring her the winner before the completion of the collation process.
In a statement signed by its National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, a lawyer, INEC stated that the REC’s action, carried out when the process had yet to conclude, was an usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer.
“The declaration of Binani as the election winner is null, void and of no effect. Consequently, the collation of results of the supplementary election is hereby suspended.
“The REC, Returning Officer and all involved are hereby invited to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja immediately. Detailed statement to follow shortly,” the commission stated.
