Court asks INEC to proceed with Adamawa supplementary election

A high court in Yola, Adamawa state capital, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to proceed with the supplementary election in the state.

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

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

In his ruling on Tuesday, Waziri put aside the restraining order halting the electoral body from going ahead with the supplementary poll in the state.

The judge subsequently adjourned the case till Wednesday, March 27, for further hearing.

Reacting to the judgement, Kassim Gaidam, resident electoral commissioner of INEC, said the commission would meet over the development and consider the next line of action.

INEC had declared the March 9 election in Adamawa inconclusive after collating results from all the 21 local government areas in the state.

Among the six states where election was declared inconclusive, Adamawa was the only state where INEC did not conduct governorship supplementary election on Saturday.

Ahmadu Fintiri, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was ahead of Jibrilla Bindow, incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the election.

Andrew Haruna, the state returning officer, had said the margin of votes between Fintiri and Jibrilla, was lesser than total votes voided in about 40 polling units.

Haruna said 40,988 votes that were cancelled in 44 polling units across the state. The margin between the two parties was 32,476.