Abuja, Nigeria
The Supreme Court has upheld the election of the governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri.
The verdict of the apex court delivered on Wednesday now puts to rest the controversy surrounding the State’s last gubernatorial election.
Leading the five-member panel to deliver the judgment, Justice John Okoro, dismissed the appeal filed by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Dahiru.
Justice Okoro held that Dahiru’s appeal lacked merit and that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Ari, had acted irresponsibly and criminally by not allowing the returning officer to announce the results.
He further stressed that it was the official duty of the returning officer to announce the results to prevent chaos and anarchy.
According to him, the Electoral Act stipulates that the power to declare election results is exclusively vested in the returning officer.
