Politics

Appeal Court Affirms Fintiri as Adamawa Governor

By Web News 468

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed a petition by the Social Democratic Party’s, SDP, governorship candidate, Umar Ardo, challenging Ahmadu Fintiri’s election as Adamawa State governor.

The Presiding Judge, Justice Ugochukwu Ogakwu, affirmed the Tribunal’s previous decision led by Justice Theodora Uloho, which dismissed Ardo’s petition for being incompetent and not properly filed.

The appellate court held that the appellants did not prove the allegations of corrupt practices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act against the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Justice Ogakwu said there was no basis to grant the appeal.

After Fintiri was declared the winner of the poll, the SDP candidate and his party filed a petition at the State Governorship Election Tribunal.

Ardo sought the nullification of Fintiri’s re-election based on substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act, corrupt practices, threats, and violence during the exercise. However, the appellate court dismissed his petition.

The governorship election which took place in the country on 11th March 2023 was suspended and postponed in Adamawa by INEC on the grounds of being inconclusive.

The supplementary election was held on 15th March but in what shocked many Nigerians, the now suspended Adamawa REC, Hudu Yunusa Ari declared the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Aishat Binani, as the Governor-elect on 16th March 2023.

FRCN Abuja/Adetutu Adetule

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Politics

Guber Election: INEC Postpones Collation in Adamawa, Declares Kebbi Election Inconclusive

By Web News 461

The Independent National Electoral Commission has postponed the collation of Adamawa governorship election results from Local Government Areas till noon.

State Collation Officer, Prof. Mohammed Mele, and Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Yakubu Ari, disclosed this on Monday, after the collation of results from 20 out of the 21 LGAs.

They noted that the exercise was postponed to enable verification of results from Fufore Local Government Area which were snatched.

Shortly before the shift, agents of both the Peoples’ Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress had urged INEC to ensure justice in the collation of the results before the declaration.

According to reports security agencies were also deployed to major roads in the state capital, following a protest by some political thugs in the metropolis after the adjournment.

Also,

Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday declared the governorship election in Kebbi as “inconclusive”.

The election was keenly contested by the two giant political parties, the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.

Collation and Returning Officer of the election, Prof. Yusuf Sa’idu of the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, announced the position at the collation centre situated at INEC headquarters in Birnin Kebbi.

Prof. Sa’idu said there were cancellations in 20 of the 21 local government areas of Kebbi State cutting across a number of Registration areas in different polling units.

Sa’idu said: “We aggregated the total number of collected PVCs in those polling units and it came to a total of 91,829.

And when we checked the results, the two leading political parties in this contest, APC and PDP polled 388,258 and 342,980 votes respectively. When we look at the difference, it stands at 45,278.”

He noted that they had no option but to refer to the electoral laws on page 31 of the Electoral Act 2022, section 51 sub-sections 2 and 3 for guidance.

According to him, the law read, “Where the number of votes cast in an election in any polling unit exceeds the number of accredited voters in that polling unit, the presiding officer shall cancel the result of the election in that polling unit.

“Sub-section three of section 51 also states that where the result of an election is cancelled in accordance with subsection two, there shall be no return for the election until another poll has taken place in the affected polling unit.

“By virtue of these provisions and the powers vested in me as the collation and returning officer of the 2023 gubernatorial election in Kebbi State, I, Prof. Yusuf Sa’idu of the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, hereby declare the governorship election in Kebbi State inconclusive.”

Meanwhile,

The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Yusuf Abba Kabir, as the winner of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

The declaration was made in the early hours of Monday amid growing tension in the state.

According to the results declared by the Returning Officer for the Kano State Governorship election, Professor Ahmed Ibrahim, the NNPP candidate polled 1,019,602 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress, who polled 890,705 votes.

Below are the results as announced by the Returning Officer:

Total number of registered voters – 5,921,370

Total number of accredited voters – 2,032,955

Total number of valid votes – 1,977,872

Total number of rejected votes – 27,092

Total votes cast – 2,004,964

In the meantime, owing to the growing tension in the state, a dawn-to-dusk curfew had been declared by the state government to forestall the breakdown of law and order.

Punch/Adebukola Aluko /Oluwayemisi Owonikoko

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Health

Adamawa Confirms 11 Cases of Cholera

By Web News 401

The Adamawa State Ministry of Health has confirmed 11 cases of cholera disease in Guyuk and Shelleng Local Government Area of the state.

A statement on Thursday by the Director of Public Health in the ministry, Dr Celine Laori says that as of Tuesday, the suspected cases were 96 and 11 confirmed positive with a 2.1 percent case fatality ratio.

He said the ministry, on Aug. 19, received reports of suspected cases of acute watery diarrhoea from the affected LGAs.

“Samples were collected and tested, using both Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) in which seven were confirmed to be Cholera cases. Dr Laori said.

“We have since activated our Public Health Emergency Operation Centre; Rapid Response Team was put on alert and Disease Surveillance Notification Officers (DSNOs) were directed to initiate a proper investigation and conduct an expanded event-based surveillance in all the 21 LGAs.” He noted.

According to him, medical consumables were procured, supplied and deposited at the existing Cholera Treatment Centre to support case management across the state.

He urged partners and stakeholders to give the necessary technical support to complement the government’s efforts toward containing the outbreak.

The Director advised the general public to maintain basic hygiene and sanitation as well as ensure that food and water to be consumed were clean and safe.

FRCN Abuja

Security

Adamawa Gov. Imposes Curfew on 2 LGAs

By Web News 464

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State has Imposed a curfew on Lamurde and Guyuk local government areas of the state.

This is as a result of continued communal clashes in parts of border communities of Adamawa, Wajas, Lugundas and parts of Gombe states.

Disturbed by the reoccurring crisis and the aftermath of the loss of lives and properties, the Governor warned that”  criminals are challenging   government resolve and we are ready to push the farthest end possible”,

A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Fintiri, Humashi Wunoshikou stated that “we have exhausted all means to arrest the ugly trend in the areas and we are left with no option to take the decisive end”,

The Governor noted that the unfortunate breach of peace in the areas was regrettable and having reviewed the unfolding scenario, it has no option but to slam the curfew.

The statement said the government is aware of attempts by some individuals to take the LA into their hands by attacking individuals in their homes and public places.

“To avoid deterioration of the crisis to an unmanageable level curfew is hereby imposed in the area from 6 am to 6 pm daily,” the statement said.

Vanguard/ Titilayo Kupoliyi

Politics

Aishatu Binani Becomes First Female to Win APC Guber Primaries

By Web News 688

Senator Aishatu Binani has won the Adamawa APC governorship primary, defeating Nuhu Ribadu and former Governor Bindo. She received 430 votes.

She is the first to win primaries in Nigeria’s two major political parties, the APC and the PDP, in 2022.

Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, known popularly as Binani defeated her closest competitor, Ribadu, with 430 votes.

Senator Jibrilla Bindow, the immediate past Governor of Adamawa State, who ran in the race, also lost to Senator Binani.

Bindow served as the APC’s state governor from 2015 to 2019.

The governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, won the PDP governorship primaries.

Throw back

Late Aishatu Hassan of Taraba State was APC first ever female gubernatorial candidate.

TheTaraba State politician won the ticket for the 2015 general elections.

She was defeated in the re-run election on April 25, 2015, but on November 7, 2015, a tribunal dismissed Taraba Governor, Darius Ishaku, and pronounced her the winner of the April 11, 2015 election, which was later overturned by the Nigerian Appeal and Supreme Courts.

Saadatu Albashir

Health

Journalist Becomes Adamawa’s Covid-19 Index Case

By Web News 1058

A journalist has tested positive for Coronavirus in Adamawa State.

The PUNCH reports that the journalist is the index case in the state.

It was learnt that the middle-aged journalist recently returned from Kano State and went into self-isolation.

The journalist subsequently submitted himself to health officials for screening and his result returned positive.

The journalist, who spoke with his colleagues from the state COVID-19 isolation centre, said, “Officials of the state COVID-19 Containment Team have informed me that my samples tested positive for the coronavirus.”