SUPREME COURT DISMISSES SDP’s APPEAL AGAINST ADAMAWA GOV, FINTIRI

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal brought before it by the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and its governorship candidate, Dr Umar Ardo challenging the declaration of Ahmadu Fintiri as Adamawa State governor.

The supreme court dismissed the appeal with the case number SC/CV/1219/2023 due to lack of merit.

After receiving 6,000 votes, the SDP and its candidate opposed Fintiri’s declaration and that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which received over 430,000 votes in the election held on March 18, 2023.

The SDP and Ardo were upset that the election was not held in a way that substantially adhered to the Electoral Act 2022’s requirements.

However, at Wednesday’s proceedings, counsel to the appellants, Sylvester Imhanobe, was taken up to substantiate how the election was conducted without following the Electoral Act.

Upon discovering the hint of the apex court, the appellants withdrew their appeal, having been found unmeritorious.

Justice John Inyang Okoro, who led a 5-man panel of Justices of the Court, dismissed the appeal without any cost against the appellants.

The apex court subsequently affirmed the election of Fintiri as being validly elected and lawfully declared as the Governor of Adamawa State.

Ardo and his party had filed a petition at the Adamawa Governorship Election Petition Tribunal after Fintiri, the candidate of PDP, was declared the winner of the poll.

The petitioners had sought the nullification of Fintiri’s election on the grounds that there was substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act, corrupt practices, threats and violence during the voting exercise.

However, the tribunal, led by Theodora Uloho, dismissed the petition for being incompetent and not properly filed.