APP loses bid to unseat Governor Fintiri

The Action Peoples Party (APP) on Saturday lost its bid to unseat the Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa state at the state’s governorship petition tribunal sitting Yola after it threw out the case for lack of merit.

The and its Governorship Candidate in the last general election, Bitrus Meda, had taken Funtiri, his deputy Crowther Seth, their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to the tribunal, complaining that he was unlawfully excluded from the election that produced Fintiri as governor.

Giving the judgement on the petition on Saturday, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Adediran Adebara, said the petitioners failed to prove their claim of unlawful exclusion beyond reasonable doubt.

He dismissed the petition and awarded legal cost of N1, 000,000 against the petitioner: N300, 000 each in favour of first, second and third respondents, and N100,000 for the fourth respondent, that is INEC.

Responding to the judgement, Counsel to the petitioners, Solomon Garba, said they had accepted the judgment in good faith.

Governor Ahamadu Fintiri, who also spoke to newsmen later at the Government House, Yola, said he was grateful to God that the tribunal affirmed his election.

He said, “All praises to Allah the giver of power who has made it that this time I should be the governor of Adamawa State.

“For the judiciary, I congratulate them for reaffirming what Adamawa people demonstrated last general election, voting freely under a peaceful election that saw me emerge as the governor of the state.”