Skip to main content

Court asks INEC to conduct supplementary election in Adamawa

A High Court sitting in Yola has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to proceed with the supplementary election in Adamawa state.

The court had previously restrained INEC from conducting the exercise based on a suit filed by the governorship candidate of the Movement For Restoration and Defense for Democracy (MRDD), Mustafa Shaba.

Shaba had sued the commission over the absence of his party’s logo on the ballot paper of the election held on March 9, 2019, that was declared inconclusive.

“I hereby grant the following order: ‘the defendant the INEC is restrain whether by themselves, their executives, servants, privies, representative, nominees or any other person or persons from proceeding with the supplementary election in respect of Adamawa pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice,” Abdulazeez Waziri, the presiding judge, had ruled.

When the substantive hearing of the suit commenced on Thursday, March 21, INEC's counsel, Tanimu Inuwa (SAN), urged the court to discharge the injunction on grounds that it has no jurisdiction to entertain the case.

He argued that as a federal agency, only a federal court could issue such an injunction against INEC.

He further noted that the MRDD should never have approached the court because the issue before it should have been tabled before the election petition tribunal after the electoral process has been concluded.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Umaru Fintiri, also filed separate motions before the court to be joined in the suit.

MRDD's counsel, Yemi Pitan, prayed the court to order INEC to conduct a fresh election as the commission had no power to disqualify its candidate, Eric Theman, from the race.

Adamawa governorship election

Following the conduct of the March 9 election, INEC declared the Adamawa governorship race inconclusive because the lead margin was lower than the total number of votes cancelled in certain areas.

With 367,471 votes, Fintiri was in the lead over the incumbent governor, Jibrilla Bindow, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 334,995 votes, but the margin of 32,476 votes was lower than the 40,988 votes cancelled in 44 polling units.

According to the "Margin of Lead Principle" contained in Sections 26 and 53 of the Electoral Act and paragraph 41(e) and 43(b) of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines, the commission cannot declare a winner if the number of cancelled votes can mathematically affect the outcome of the election.

The supplementary election will take place only in the polling units where elections were cancelled.

ridoola.blogspot.com.ng
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Okpebholo suspends A-G & LG Chair under 3 months over finance dealings

The Edo Government has announced the suspension of Samson Osagie , its Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, and Damian Lawani , chairman of the Local Government Service Commission. Mr Musa Ikhilor , Secretary to the State Government (SSG) announced the suspension in a statement in Benin on Thursday morning. ALSO READ: Kano Govt suspend 2 school principals for alleged absenteeism, negligence Ikhilor said the two-state top officials were suspended over allegations of “grave official and financial interactions”. Okpebholo suspends Edo Attorney-General and LG Service Commission Chairman According to him, the suspension, which takes immediate effect, is pending the conclusion of an investigation into the allegations. The SSG said; It is hereby announced for the information of the general public that Gov. Monday Okpebholo has approved the suspension from office of the Chairman of Edo Local Government Service Commission, Damian Lawani and Commissioner for Justice, Samson Os...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tinubu appoints MKO Abiola's son, Jamiu as SSA on Linguistics & Foreign Matters

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Jamiu Abiola as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Linguistics and Foreign Matters. The appointee is one of the children of the late Chief Moshood Kolawole Abiola , the winner of the 1993 presidential election annulled by General Ibrahim Babangida . According to a statement by Segun Imohiosen , the Director of Information and Public Relations, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, Jamiu's appointment took effect from November 14, 2024. Imohiosen said the appointment aligns with the provisions of the Certain Political and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) Act 2008, as amended. Until his recent deployment, the appointee served as the Special Assistant to the President of Special Duties in the office of the Vice President. Tinubu tasked Jamiu to work closely with the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and bring his wealth of experience to bear in his new ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Imaan: Nigeria’s 1st Female Police Affairs Minister & Iron Lady of Women’s Affairs

As a reform-minded technocrat and empathetic policymaker, she is a dynamic force, bringing hope, competence, and equity to every ministry she leads. Early life & Background Imaan was born on April 19, 1980, in Jos, Plateau State. Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim was raised in Abuja, rooted in a purposeful family, her father, S. K. Danladi , an engineer-developer, and her mother, Aishatu , a teacher. As the second of eight children, she grew up with early lessons in discipline and education. ALSO READ: Can a Doctor Save Education? Olatunji Alausa’s cure for Nigeria’s learning crisis Education Imaan received her early schooling at Aruwa Nursery and Jabi Primary, later attending Federal Government Girls’ College, Bwari. She graduated younger than most people from the University of Abuja, BSc in Sociology at 19, then two master’s degrees (MBA and MA in Management) from Webster University, London, by age 21. As of 2025, she is completing a Doctorate in Security & Strategic Studies at t...
Post a Comment
Read more