Appeal Court Victory: We’re One Big Family, Fintiri’s Deputy Tells Adamawa People

The deputy governor of Adamawa State, Professor Kaletapwa Farauta, has dedicated the victory of his principal at the Court of Appeal to all the people of Adamawa State.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Monday, December 18, affirmed the election of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, dismissing the appeal filed by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election, Senator Aishatu Ahmed (Binani).

Fintiri was not in Adamawa when news of the Appeal Court victory hit the state Monday afternoon.

Speaking to newsmen in her office in Yola on the appeal court victory, Kaletapwa Farauta said the victory is for all the people of Adamawa state irrespective of whatever party they profess.

She said: “We all must work on Adamawa together. Let us collapse party lines and work as one people,” Farauta told Binani, her supporters, and all opposition forces.”

She stressed that Adamawa state is one big family and party politics should not be allowed to cause division.

By affirming Ahmadu Fintiri as governor of Adamawa state during its Monday sitting, the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment of the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which last month Okayed Fintiri’s victory in the March 2023 governorship election.

Binani had, in response to the decision of the tribunal, approached the Court of Appeal which, at its sitting Monday morning held that Binani and her party failed to call polling agents who participated in the conduct of the election as witnesses.

The court said the three witnesses called to establish malpractices in 21 LGAs were not part agents but campaign coordinators who gave mere hearsay evidence.

The court added that the brief of argument filed by Binani and APC was incompetent, just as the records of appeal transmitted to the court were insufficient.

Referencing how suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner Hudu Yunusa-Ari announced a winner in the governorship election process that was yet to be concluded, the court blamed the commissioner for taking over the function of a returning officer and going ahead to declare Binani as the winner.

The court also faulted Binani for making a case for the commissioner, saying: “In the eyes of the law, the Resident Electoral Commissioner is on his own. He should be allowed to take responsibility for his illegal and unlawful act.”