Adamawa supplementary election won’t hold Saturday, court rules

The supplementary election scheduled for Saturday will not hold in Adamawa state.

This is as a result of a suit filed against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by Mustafa Shaba, governorship candidate of the Movement For Restoration and Defense for Democracy (MRDD).

Shaba had sued the commission over the omission of his party’s logo on the electoral materials used in the March 9 election.

The court had initially asked INEC not to go ahead with the supplementary election but the commission said the order was not binding on it.

Citing section 87 sub-section 10 of the electoral act, Kassiam Gaidam, resident electoral commissioner (REC) of Adamawa state, had said: “Going by the electoral act, even court orders cannot stop any election at this point. Although we are not aware of any court restraining INEC, however let me tell you that court order will not stop any election.”

But Gaidam made a U-turn on Wednesday, saying the commission had been served with the court order.

He added that the court would determine the fate of the supplementary governorship election.

“I want to confirm to you that today, indeed a court order was served on the commission’s headquarters, and the commission in its usual very good tradition of compliance with court orders has sent appropriate notices, filed counter motions and counter originating sermon,” he said.

“We would be waiting to hear the outcome or the decision the court will take tomorrow.”

On Thursday, Abdulazeez Waziri, a member of the panel presiding over the case, adjourned the matter till Tuesday.

He had first ordered journalists out of the courtroom before delivering his judgment.

Commenting on this, Tahir Shehu, chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, said the court could only delay the rerun election and not the victory of his party.

The PDP was leading in the March 9 election which was declared inconclusive.