Court gives INEC nod to conduct supplementary election in Adamawa

INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu

A State High Court in Yola has lifted the interlocutory injunction restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting supplementary governorship election in Adamawa State.

Justice Abdulaaziz Waziri, on Tuesday, ruled in the suit filed by Mustapha Shaba, representative of the governorship candidate of Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD), Eric Thema.

MRDD, in the suit, said the omission of its logo on the ballot paper affected Thema’s chances in the first governorship election, and so wanted the court to compel INEC to effect its logo.

The court then had INEC stop plans to conduct a re-run on March 23 pending the determination of the suit.

With the new ruling, INEC can now proceed on its plan to conduct a re-run in Adamawa.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Hammadu Fintiri, is ahead with a 32,476-vote margin from the first election after polling 367,471 votes while incumbent governor, Jubrilla Bindow, of the All Progressives Congress (APC),  had 334,995 votes.

In declaring the election inconclusive, INEC said the margin recorded by Fintiri was lower than 40,998 votes cancelled in 40 polling units scattered over 14 council areas of the state.