Court Dismisses Aishatu Binani’s Suit Against INEC Over Adamawa Governoship Election

A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State governorship election, Aishatu Dahiru Binani.

KanyiDaily recalls that Binani had approached the court with an ex-parte application to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from reversing her ‘illegal declaration’ as the winner of the Adamawa gubernatorial election.

Binani’s Counsel, Mohammed Sheriff, upon resumed hearing in the matter on Wednesday, told Justice Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja that a notice of discontinuance had been filed to that effect and urged the court to strike out the case, NAN reports.

The lawyer, who informed the court that a lot of issues had come up between the last date of adjournment and the present, begged for the suit to be struck out.

But Justice Ekwo reminded Sheriff that an order was given on the last adjourned date directing him to address the court on whether the court had the jurisdiction to entertain the case or not.

The judge held that since Sheriff had failed to go by the order of the court, the appropriate thing to do was to dismiss the matter.

“I hereby make an order dismissing this suit,” Justice Ekwo declared.

KanyiDaily recalls that Binani was illegally declared the governor-elect of Adamawa by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa. following last Sunday’s supplementary election.

Yunusa had walked into the collation centre after the supplementary election was suspended on Saturday and announced Binani as the winner on Sunday when outstanding results were yet to be declared.

The APC governorship candidate was hoping to upstage the incumbent governor, Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored more votes during the main election on 18 March.

But INEC described Yunusa’s action as null and void, and reversed Binani’s declaration as winner of the election, which could have made her the first elected female governor in Nigeria’s history.

INEC said the Adamawa REC has no power to announce the winner of the election, noting that the responsibility solely lies with the state collation officer appointed by the commission.