The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially declared Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship election. The Returning Officer, Muhammed Melee, made the announcement on Tuesday after the collation of results, revealing that Fintiri secured 430,861 votes, defeating his closest rival Aisha Binani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who polled 398,788 votes.

The governorship election in Adamawa State had experienced some irregularities, leading to the declaration of the initial election held on March 18 as inconclusive by INEC. A supplementary election was then conducted on Saturday, April 15, and the collation of results resumed on Tuesday after it was initially halted on Sunday due to controversy surrounding the declaration of Binani as the winner by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Ari.

ALSO READ: INEC directs Adamawa REC, Hudu Ari, to stay away from office due to misconduct

In his acceptance speech, Governor-elect Ahmadu Fintiri expressed humility and congratulated his co-contenders for their efforts in the governorship race. He also condemned the actions of Hudu Ari, stating that it fell below expectations. Fintiri thanked the people of Adamawa for voting for continuity, indicating his commitment to serving the state.

Following the political developments in the state, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, ordered the withdrawal of the Commissioner of Police on election duty, Mohammed Barde, from Adamawa State, and directed the Commissioner of Police in charge of Gombe State, Etim Equa, to proceed to Adamawa for election security during the supplementary governorship poll, emphasizing the commitment to a free and fair electoral process.

ALSO READ: Adamawa: PDP demands INEC to declare Gov. Fintiri as winner

In addition, a Federal High Court in Abuja declined to hear an ex-parte motion filed by Aisha Binani on the elections, citing jurisdictional issues. The court ordered Binani’s counsel to address the court on the issue of jurisdiction before the substantive motion could be heard. Governor Fintiri’s legal team also filed a motion to counter some of Binani’s prayers, citing social media as the source of their information about the ex-parte motion.