The Governorship Election Tribunal convened in Yola has scheduled a hearing for Saturday, October 28, to address a case that challenges the handling of the most recent governorship election in Adamawa State.
The petitioner in this case is Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani, a prominent candidate from the All Progressives Congress (APC). Her case centers on the decision made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reject her declaration as the winner of the governorship rerun that took place on April 15.
In a controversial turn of events, the suspended state resident electoral commissioner (REC) of INEC, Hudu Ari-Yunusa, declared Binani the winner of the election on April 16, 2023. However, the declaration was made prematurely, as the full collation of results had not been completed. In response to this, INEC swiftly nullified the action, suspended Hudu, and resumed the collation process, ultimately announcing Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the rightful winner of the election.
In light of these developments, Senator Binani took her objections to the governorship election petition tribunal on May 5. Her objections encompass various aspects of INEC’s conduct, including the controversial declaration of Ahmadu Fintiri as the winner of the election.
In its latest action on Binani’s petition, the tribunal on Tuesday issued a notice calling on the parties to the suit to appear before it on October 28.
The Notice of Hearing indicated that the petition between Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru & 1 other; and INEC & 2 others will be heard on the 28th day of October 2023 “and on such other days as the tribunal may determine”.