Nigeria: INEC Declares PDP's Fintiri Winner of Adamawa Governorship Election

Mr Fintiri polled a total of 430,861 votes to defeat Mrs Dahiru who got 398,788 votes.

The Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC) has declared Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the governorship election in Adamawa State.

Mr Fintiri won the supplementary election with 9,337 votes. He defeated his closest rival, Aisha Dahiru, popularly called Binani, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who came second in the poll with 6,513 votes.

Mr Fintiri and Mrs Dahiru are the major contenders in the governorship poll.

The supplementary poll was held in 69 polling units in the 20 local governments in the state, with less than 40,000 eligible voters.

At the 18 March governorship poll before it was declared inconclusive, Mr Fintiri was leading with over 30,000 votes.

For both the main election and the rerun, the governor polled a total of 430,861 votes while the APC candidate scored 398,788 votes.

The final results were announced by the INEC Returning Officer in the state, Mohammed Mele.

Mr Mele, a professor, said the PDP governorship candidate has met the constitutional requirement and thereby returned as governor of the state.

"I, Professor Muhammed Mele, hereby certified that I am the Returning Officer for the Adamawa State Governorship election. The election was contested. That the candidates received the following votes," he said.

"That Ahmadu Fintiri of the PDP having satisfied the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected."

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Ari, had, on Sunday, declared Mrs Dahiru the winner of the governorship election.

Mr Ari announced the APC candidate winner of the election while the collation of the results of the supplementary election conducted on Saturday was still in progress.

However, INEC headquarters in Abuja declared the REC's action null and void and suspended the collation of the results.

The commission also summoned him to Abuja and subsequently barred him from the office. It is not certain if he has arrived Abuja.

Also on Monday, Mrs Dahiru approached the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to stop INEC from voiding her illegal declaration as Adamawa governor-elect. The court adjourned to 26 April, the day the collation of the results of the supplementary election resumed and Mr Fintiri declared winner.

Meanwhile, the electoral body said it had decided to write the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, requesting to probe and prosecute Mr Ari for his conduct.

Mr Baba, on his part, has ordered the removal of the Commissioner of Police on election duty in Adamawa State, Mohammed Barde, over his alleged role in the illegal declaration of Mrs Dahiru, as the winner of the state governorship election on Sunday.

The IGP also directed the Gombe State Police Commissioner, Etim Equa, to proceed to Adamawa to take charge.

See the results of the supplementary election below

Total registered voters 42,929

Accredited voters 16,423

AA 2

AAC 28

ADP 40

APC 6,513

APGA 16

APM 03

APP 02

LP 03

NNPP 05

NRM 35

PDP 9,337

PRP 03

SDP 05

YPP 06

ZLP 01

Total 15,999

Rejected votes 399

Total votes cast 16,398

Total Election Results

Total registered voters 21965666

Accredited voters 876,387

Total results of the 18 March election and 15 April supplementary elections

AA 643

ADC 324

ADP 2,174

APC 398,788

APGA 892

APM 606

APP 286

LP 2,732

NNPP 4,852

NRM 1,272

PDP 430,861

PRP 1,188

SDP 6,870

YPP 1,431

ZLP 200

Total valid votes 853,819

Rejected votes 15,287

Total votes cast 869,106

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