YOLA, Nigeria – Adamawa Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been declared the winner of Saturday’s supplementary election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following a highly contentious electoral process.
Fintiri secured 430,861 votes, defeating his main rival Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 398,738 votes.
The announcement came a month after the initial March 18 governorship elections were declared inconclusive.
INEC had suspended collation for the supplementary election when the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Ari, erroneously declared Binani the winner. The commission invalidated Ari’s announcement, suspended him indefinitely, and summoned him to its Abuja headquarters for interrogation.
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In the rerun, Fintiri polled 9,337 votes, besting Binani, who scored 6,513 votes. The announcement by INEC at 5:49 pm on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 was preceded by a series of political intrigues, including Ari’s premature declaration of Binani as the winner and the assault on a national commissioner mistaken for Ari by irate opposition members.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Festus Okoye strongly condemned the assault, saying, “A former Vice Chancellor of Usman Dan Fodio University, a senior citizen was stripped naked and dragged. This commission will not allow that to stand.” He also urged security agencies to arrest, investigate, and prosecute those responsible for the violence.
Following Binani’s wrongful declaration as the winner, INEC suspended the collation of results and invited all officials involved to its headquarters in Abuja.
The commission declared Ari’s actions a usurpation of the Returning Officer’s power and announced that its Administrative Secretary in Adamawa would take full charge of INEC in the state.
On April 18, INEC resolved to write to Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, requesting an investigation and possible prosecution of Hudu Ari.
Meanwhile, IGP Baba ordered the Commissioner of Police on election duty in Adamawa, Mohammed Barde, to withdraw from the state and assigned CP Etim Equa of Gombe State to supervise election security in the remainder of the supplementary poll.
