Adamawa Governorship Polls: Postponing Victory Party
CANDIDATE of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa State, Alhaji Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, was close to winning the governorship election on March 9, 2019, based on the records of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of areas where the election was annulled.
The Adamawa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dissatisfied with the decision of the returning officer, Professor Andrew Haruna, has directed INEC to declare Alhaji Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, winner, saying the returning officer erred by declaring the election inconclusive.
While addressing journalists, last week in Yola, the former two-term Governor of Adamawa State, Mr. Boni Haruna, said the commission did not properly guide the returning officer before he announced the election inconclusive.
He said the ground advanced by the returning officer for declaring the election in the 44 polling units with 40,988 registered voters inconclusive is not correct because only those that collected their Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) are classified as eligible voters.
Haruna said INEC records showed that only 31,027 registered voters out of the 40,988 in those 44 polling units collected their PVCS, pointing out that since the PDP led with 32,476, the party should by law be declared winner of the election.
“To be an eligible voter is only when your PVC is with you, so, since the number of those that collected their PVCS is lower than the votes Fintiri led Bindow, the APC candidate with, INEC as unbiased umpire should correct the error of the returning officer and declare Fintiri winner,” he stated.
To add their voice to what some political analysts have described as attempts to rape democracy in the state, the leadership of the opposition PDP, Adamawa State chapter, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, not to dent his image by supporting Governor Bindow’s alleged plan to use the State High Court to stop INEC from conducting the supplementary election slated for March 23.
The State Chairman of PDP, Barrister Tahir Shehu, told journalists last week that since election was conducted, no court outside Election Petitions Tribunal has the power to entertain any issue arising from the elections, pointing out that court can only handle pre-election matters and not post-election issues.
He said the president should stand by his words that the people should vote for anybody of their choice.
“We urge the President to play the role of a father that he is and should not support illegality because someone wants to remain in power. The President should ask