Court vacates restraining order on Adamawa Governorship election

Adamawa State High Court has vacated an order restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting supplementary governorship supplementary election in Adamawa State.

The court vacated the order on Tuesday after INEC had complied with the order to conduct election in 44 polling units where results were canceled in the March 9 election leading to the declaration of the governorship election inconclusive in the state.

While supplementary elections were conducted in other states on last week, the governorship supplementary election in Adamawa was on hold because of a suit filed by the governorship candidate of the Movement for Restoration and Defence for Democracy (MRDD), Mustafa Shaba, complaining of omission of the party’s logo on the ballot paper.

Shaba had sued the electoral body over the omission of his party’s logo on the electoral materials used in the March 9 governorship election.

Meanwhile, the ruling of the Adamawa State High Court came two weeks after INEC declared the governorship election in the state as inconclusive.

The Returning Officer for the election, Professor Andrew Haruna, had made the declaration while announcing the results on March 11 at the collation centre in the state capital.

He explained that the margin of the lead of 32,476 between the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) was less than the 40,988 votes that were cancelled.

The state constituency election held in Mayo Belwa and Hong Local Government Areas of Adamawa, but the governorship election could not hold in 44 polling units because of the court order.