- By Kamil Opeyemi
The Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed the victory of the governor of Adamawa state, Ahmadu Fintiri.
The apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, Aisha Dahiru Binani.
The decision was made by a five-member panel led by Justice John Okoro after hearing arguments from the parties involved in the case.
The panel concluded that Binani’s appeal lacked merit.
NPO Reports that the Supreme Court last week reserved its judgment on the appeal filed by Binani and APC.
Justice Okoro stated that the declaration of Dahiru as the winner by the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) was illegal and void.
He said that only the Returning Officer, as empowered by the Electoral Act, has the authority to announce election results, and any other person doing so acts illegally.
Furthermore, Justice Okoro noted that the appellants (Dahiru and the APC) failed to provide credible evidence demonstrating non-compliance with relevant laws or establishing that Dahiru won the election with the majority of lawful votes.