Adamawa guber crisis: Finally, INEC declares Fintiri winner

THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, declared Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, as the winner of the state governorship election, with the governor declaring that the state, of Adamawa, was the real winner of the election. Fintiri also pledged to be fair to all.

His declaration by the electoral commission put paid to the controversies that had trailed the election since the first balloting on March 18, 2023.

Mele Lamido, the returning officer for the Adamawa governorship election, declared Fintiri as the winner after the collation of the supplementary election results. The final results showed that Governor Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, scored 430,861 votes to beat Aisha Dahiru Ahmed (Binani) of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who got 398,788 votes.

The returning officer also disclosed that the total votes cast were 869,106 while total valid votes were 853,819. Rejected votes were 15,287.

Before Fintiri’s declaration, the commission met, in Abuja, on the suspended election and resolved to write the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Baba Alkali, to investigate the Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mr Hudu Yunusa-Ari for possible prosecution.

It also resolved to write the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha, with a view to acquainting President Muhammadu Buhari with the “unwholesome” activities of the REC and possibly reviewing his appointment.

These came on a day the Inspector General of Police redeployed the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mohammed Barde, who was with the suspended REC when he announced Senator Aisha Dahiru Ahmed as the winner of the election, after breaching procedures.

Adamawa won, I’ll be fair to all —Fintiri

Shortly after he was declared winner, Governor Fintiri, in a 2,322-word acceptance speech, thanked Adamawa voters for reaffirming their “willingness to support the good works” he had started in the state “because we have reached a consensus that Adamawa State must work.”

The governor said he would be fair to all, irrespective of their political choices. Apologising to the people for what politicians made them go through in the last few weeks and for their orderly conduct in the face of provocation, the governor commended the INEC leadership for standing firm.

He also congratulated his co-contenders and their various parties, extended a hand of fellowship to them and restated his promise of equal treatment for all to realise the Adamawa dream.

Noting that the poll would have long been concluded, he regretted that “the enemies of democracy led by the Resident Electoral Officer, emerged two hours before the appointed time to deliver the worst subversion of a democratic process ever known to mankind and what could best be described as provocative and insult to the collective sensibility of the people. Vanguard