Fintiri to appeal removal ‘in 20 minutes’

Acting governor of Adamawa state, Alhaji Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has revealed his intention to appeal the judgment of an Abuja federal high court removing him as governor.

Fintiri said he had directed his lawyers to appeal the judgment immediately.

“Our lawyers are preparing their papers and will file an appeal in the next 20 minutes,” NAN quoted him as saying.

“We are awaiting the result of the appeal and we still believe the election will take place.”

On Wednesday, Justice Adeniyi Ademola ruled that former deputy governor Bala Ngilari should be sworn in as governor, consequently removing Fintiri as the acting governor and invalidating Saturday’s governorship bye-election.

Ademola stated that the resignation of Ngilari was null and void because his resignation letter was not acted on by former governor Murtala Nyako, but by the state house of assembly, thereby breaching the provisions of constitution.

Ngilari had filed the suit through Festus Keyamo urging the court to declare him governor and stop the gubernatorial by-election slated for October 11.

The court also granted his wish for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop the gubernatorial by-election in the state forthwith.

In what looks like readiness to comply with the judgement, INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, has already called off a stakeholders’ meeting originally scheduled for Wednesday to explore ways of conducting the by-election in the face of worsening security problems in the northeastern state.

However, he said the commission would announce its position on the bye-election in the course of the day .

“As we were preparing for this meeting just 30 minutes ago, I received information from Abuja that a federal high court has, among others, granted an injunction restraining INEC from conducting the Adamawa bye-election,” he told the stakeholders in Yola, capital of the state.

“This information came to me from our director of legal services. INEC is a law-abiding organisation; I am yet to see the court order, but I still believe that the right thing to do under the circumstances is not to proceed with this meeting until we get sufficient clarification.

“Once we get a proper process served on us in the course of the day, we will make an appropriate announcement as what the position of INEC is on this particular matter.”