• Fintiri reacts, thanks Adamawa people for unflinching support
• I’m not a desperate politician, never bribe INEC official with N2bn, Binani insists
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Tuesday, ended two days of suspense and announced Governor Umaru Fintiri, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of Adamawa State governorship election.
With the re-election of Governor Fintiri, Senator Binani, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), lost her historical bid to become the first female governor in Nigeria.
According to INEC, Fintiri scored 430,869 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Aisha Ahmed Binani, who polled 398,788 votes.
The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. Mohammed Mele, declared the incumbent Governor Fintiri as the winner of the poll after the collation of the supplementary election.
Meanwhile, Governor Fintiri has reacted to his victory in the just-concluded governorship election.
The Adamawa Governor also assured the people of the state that nobody would be left behind in the delivery of dividends of democracy.
Speaking in his official Twitter handle, Fintiri said his re-election was a victory for the people of Adamawa State.
He said: “Alhamdulillah, victory to the people of Adamawa state! I still remain a governor for all. No one will be left behind and nothing will be left untouched. @OfficialPDPNig.”
INEC had on March 20, declared the March 18 Adamawa governorship election as inconclusive.
The collation officer had announced that Fintiri scored 421,524 votes while Binani polled 390, 275 votes.
He said the margin between the two top candidates was less than the total number of potential voters — 37,016 — in 69 polling units where elections were cancelled.
In a related development, Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru, has denied bribing an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Adamawa governorship supplementary election was conducted on Saturday following the declaration of the March 18 poll as inconclusive over alleged irregularities.
The collation of election results was suspended till Sunday after results from 10 LGAs were announced.
But the INEC REC, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, suddenly appeared at the Collation Centre and declared Binani as the winner when the results from the remaining LGAs had not been announced.
INEC promptly reacted and nullified the declaration of Binani on the grounds of illegality and failure to follow due process.
INEC subsequently discontinued the exercise and described Yunusa-Ari’s action as null and void, saying that the declaration of a winner is the responsibility of the returning officer and not the REC.
On Tuesday, INEC commenced the collation of election results in the state and declared Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the governorship poll.
After her declaration, there were reports that Binani gave INEC officials N2 billion to be announced as the winner.
Debunking the allegation in a statement made available on Tuesday evening, Binani said that she never gave N2 billion to “procure a favourable declaration as governor-elect to some unnamed INEC staff”.
According to Binani, the report is “very bizarre, unfounded and wild allegations”, saying that,
“I never did, I would never do such,”
The statement reads in part, “I wish to reiterate that I am a democrat. I have always been a committed democrat and will never do anything to subvert the democratic process. I am not a do-or-die politician.
“In the past, I have won elections into the house of representatives and the senate in a free and fair manner.
“What happened in Adamawa was an unsuccessful attempt to subvert the will of the people. The REC was illegally told to stand down by two INEC national commissioners from Abuja who were supposed to be in Adamawa in a supervisory capacity.
“Even more curious is the nocturnal visit of some INEC national officers to the Adamawa State Government House and the bizarre declaration the same day after the visit that they have taken over the collation through the backdoor with the collation and returning officers selected by the Governor of Adamawa.
“The roles of these INEC officers from Abuja and the real mission of the two to the government house should be of interest to all democrats.
“I urge all lovers of democracy to take a deeper interest in our electoral process and democracy not only in Adamawa but in the whole country.”
Binani also thanked her supporters for their “unflinching support in the midst of half-truths and opposition smear propaganda”.
, on Tuesday, ended two days of suspense and announced Governor Umaru Fintiri){kind=link}