Adamawa supplementary election: INEC can’t nullify announced results – Senator Abbo

Adamawa State supplementary governorship poll despite results declared for 10 of 20 local government areas (LGAs) in the election showing Governor Ahmadu Fintiri in an early lead.

The electoral umpire had on Sunday through its National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, Barr. Festus Okoye would say, “It is null, void, and of no effect”.

However, Senator Abbo speaking on Monday, maintained the electoral body’s proclamation was insignificant as backed by the electoral act.

“They cannot suspend collation,” the Senator said.

“INEC cannot nullify an election that has been announced, they don’t have that power.

“Elections have been announced, it is out of their hands. The result has been announced by the REC. Section 65 does not operate in isolation, there is section 149.”

Meanwhile, Section 149 of the Electoral Act of 2022 states that.

“Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act, any defect or error arising from any actions taken by an official of the Commission in relation to any notice, form, or document made or given or other things done by the official in pursuance of the provisions of the Constitution or of this Act, or any rules made thereunder remain valid, unless otherwise challenged and declared invalid by a competent court of law or tribunal.”

The Senator under the All Progressives Congress also insisted that it was futile to challenge an already announced result, while accusing the opposition party in the state of electoral infractions.

“It has already been announced, you cannot review a result that they told us. They said the reason why they have not reviewed Fufore was that it was announced.”

“Fufore elections were contentious, we prepared for a free and fair but PDP did not prepare for a free and fair election, they prepared to bypass the elections, they prepared to compromise some certain officials,” he said.

“We prepared for the elections and the elections went smoothly, with the introduction of BVAS, we all voted in line with the dictates of the electoral act and the INEC regulations.”

“Election was taken place, the election was collated. PDP sent someone when they discovered that we had 37,000 votes in favour of APC and went and snatched election results. The chairman of the local government sent someone and snatched election results and disappeared.”

Senator Abbo also noted that the Returning Officer declared the result under duress from the governor and the former commissioner of police.

“They went again and computed another result when they mobilized themselves in their thousands and chased out APC supporters and moved the collation centre to a police station chased out our supporters.”

“The governor drove in the presence of the former commissioner of police to Fufore and declared the result under duress,” he said.

“They forced the electoral officer to declare the result under duress, the governor was there, the commissioner of police was there. “The senator also lamented about brewing reports of people bypassing BVAS, and people stocking ballot boxes inside houses adding that some of his party agents were chased out in some local government areas.

“The supplementary elections went very well until the national commissioners in collaboration came from Abuja. In collaboration with the PDP, they decided to subvert the process and do a coup against the APC.”

“You cannot have a supplementary election without having the main election. It was the failure of the conclusiveness of the main elections that gave out supplementary elections. What happened in Fufore was a coup.”

Adamawa Guber: God forbid Binani becomes governor – Babachir Lawal

By Christiana Ekpa

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, has said it was impossible for Aisha Binani of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to become the governor of Adamawa State.

Lawal claimed that Binani was not qualified to be governor of Adamawa, adding that she does not have the character for the position and did not get the required votes during the first Governorship election conducted by the Independent National Electoral

Commission, INEC, on March 18.

Speaking on Arise TV on Monday, the former SGF said: “ God forbid, it is impossible for Binani to become governor of Adamawa State.

“At the initial, she was not qualified, she does not have the character and she did not get the vote. During the first election, take note that I am not PDP or APC.

“But the PDP got 421525 votes and the APC got 380275 votes, the PDP was leading with over 31,000 votes at that stage. Now after the collation of about 20 local governments out of 21 in

Adamawa, the remaining one local government remains, and that is where the problem started.

“They started doctoring the results, they stole the results and started manipulating it.”

Lawal’s assertions are coming after the controversy that trailed results collation after Saturday’s supplementary election in the state

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Adamawa gubernatorial election, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, caused a major uproar after he announced Binani winner of the governorship election on Sunday while collation was ongoing.

Before the collation exercise was suspended on Saturday night, results from ten local government areas had been announced and Binani was trailing the incumbent governor and the PDP candidate, Ahmadu Fintiri.

However, INEC swiftly denounced the purported declaration and suspended the collation of results of the supplementary election.

The electoral umpire further summoned the REC to Abuja with immediate effect.

Governorship Petition: Tribunal orders substituted service on Sanwo-Olu

The Lagos State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has granted an ex parte application by Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate, Mr Gbadegbo Rhodes-Vivour, for substituted service on the state Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Rhodes-Vivour and Labour Party, through their counsel, Mr Olagbade Benson, had informed the tribunal that Sanwo-Olu evaded service of the petition on him by the court’s bailiff.

They alleged that Sanwo-Olu refused to collect the document from the bailiff when the court official got to his office to serve him.

In the petition number EPT/LAG/GOV/04/2023, they are praying the court to grant them leave to serve the petition and other processes on the governor and his deputy through substituted means, by posting same via DHL courier services or any other recognised courier service company, to the respondent’s official residence at Lagos House, Marina, Lagos.

NAN reports that, on April 11, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr Abdul-Azeez Adediran known as Jandor, and the Labour Party Candidate, Rhodes-Vigour, separately asked the tribunal to nullify Sanwo-Olu’s re-election and declare them the winners.

The petitioners had challenged the outcome of the March 18 Governorship Election in Lagos State in which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Sanwo-Olu winner.

NAN also reports that the Lagos State Election Petition Tribunal has received a total of 48 petitions in respect of the 2023 elections held on Feb. 25 and March 11.

(NAN)