Politics
Matawalle: How soldiers worked against my reelection
Latest Politics updatein nigeria
Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has claimed that his refusal to back the Naira redesign policy of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration cost him his re-election bid. Matawalle was one of the three All Progressives Congress (APC) governors who instituted a suit against the Federal Government over the policy. Alongside Governors Yahaya Bello of […]
The post Matawalle: How soldiers worked against my reelection appeared first on Daily Trust.
Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has claimed that his refusal to back the Naira redesign policy of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration cost him his re-election bid.
Matawalle was one of the three All Progressives Congress (APC) governors who instituted a suit against the Federal Government over the policy.
Alongside Governors Yahaya Bello of Kogi and Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Matawalle asked the Supreme Court to declare the naira policy as illegal.
Other governors, including Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, later joined the suit.
PROFILE: Gusau, one of the forces that crushed Matawalle
FLASHBACK: How Shinkafi defected as Zamfara sitting gov then lost reelection like Matawalle
In an interview with DW Hausa, Matawalle, who was defeated during the March 18 governorship election, alleged that the Federal Government deliberately worked against him and other APC governors who kicked against the policy.
Matawalle alleged that soldiers deployed to the state prevented voters from voting for him.
According to him, APC supporters were beaten up and prevented from voting for the ruling party.
He said, “I told my people prior to the election not to take part in rigging the poll for me to win because I prefer the people of the state to vote for me to win without rigging.
“During the election, the number of soldiers we saw in Zamfara was terrifying because we have never seen that number of soldiers in the state. The moment I saw them, I didn’t bother myself and I knew something was going on because I received confidential reports that there are some people who want to take revenge on me and some governors over some things, they feel we didn’t do right.
“What they’ve been saying was when we filed a case at the court over the naira redesign policy, that I, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State and Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State will see the result of what we did. In truth, we have the challenge of insecurity in Zamfara which we were trying to get soldiers to be deployed but we couldn’t. But three days to the election, over 300 cars carrying soldiers came into Zamfara.
“If the troops had been sent when we were dealing with insecurity, by now, it would have been brought to an end in Zamfara. No polling unit in Zamfara had less than 50 soldiers attached to it and the soldiers beat up and prevented people who intended to vote for the APC. All these things happened and we also have videos.
“And when something happens and we call the soldiers, they don’t come. Therefore, this was just something that was staged. This is not my first time losing in an election. I contested for senate in 2015 and lost. After losing, I contested again and won. I’m a politician, the struggle continues.”
Daily Trust reports that while Matawalle lost his re-election bid, the APC won the governorship election in Kaduna. The Governor Abdullahi Ganduje-led Kano APC also lost the governorship poll to the New nigeria People’s Party, (NNPP).
The post Matawalle: How soldiers worked against my reelection appeared first on Daily Trust.
Politics
Binani: Court Refuses To Hear Application Over INEC’s Pronouncement
Latest Politics updatein nigeria
A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, refused to hear an ex-parte motion filed by the All Progressives Congress candidate in the Adamawa governorship election, Senator Aisha Ahmed, popularly called Binani.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, instead, ordered the APC candidate’s counsel, Mohammed Sheriff, to address the court on the issue of jurisdiction before hearing the substantive motion.
Upon resumed hearing on the matter, Afeez Matomi announced appearance for Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, the third respondent in the suit, shortly after the sheriff mentioned his name.
Read Also: Lai Mohammed Details Reason OBIDIENTS Refuse To Accept Election Results, Blames Social Media (AUDIO)
Justice Ekwo then asked Matomi if he had been served.
The lawyer told the court that though they were yet to be served, they had filed a motion to counter part of Binani’s prayers.
He said they got the hint about the ex-parte motion through social media, hence, they decided to file a motion.
But the judge, who declined to listen to Fintiri’s lawyer, said it was imperative for counsel to go by what the law says.
Ekwo then ordered Sheriff to proceed on addressing the court.
The lawyer said his ex-parte motion was filed on April 17 and he was ready to move it.
The judge said though he was ready to hear Sheriff, the lawyer must address the court on issue of jurisdiction before he proceeded.
“I am ready too but you have to address me on jurisdiction,” he said.
Justice Ekwo, who ordered Sheriff to address him on whether the court had the jurisdiction to hear the matter, held that the application would be taken together with the issue of jurisdiction on the next adjourned date.
He, consequently, adjourned the matter until April 26 for hearing of the motion and an address on jurisdiction.
Binani and the APC, in the motion ex-parte marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/510/2023, had sued the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Governor Fintiri, as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents respectively.
Binani, through her lawyer, Hussaini Zakariyau, SAN, had sought a judicial review of the administrative decision of INEC on April 16 in respect of her declaration as the winner of the governorship election held on March 18 and the supplementary poll of April 15.
She is also seeking an order of prohibition and certiorari preventing INEC and its agents from taking any further steps towards the declaration of the winner of the elections pending the determination of her application for judicial review.
The application was brought pursuant to Order 34 Rules 1a, Order 3(1) & 3(2) a, b, c, Order 6 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure Rules), 2019 and Section 251 (1)q & r of the 1999 Constitution, as well as Section 149 & 152 of the Electoral Act, 2022.
Giving grounds why the motion should be granted, Binani stated that after the collation of results, INEC declared her as the winner of the elections but the PDP and its candidate, Governor Fintiri, resorted to fighting and causing a public disturbance which led to the beating and manhandling of an INEC staff.
This crisis, she said, led INEC to cancel the initial declaration which it had no power to do as only the election petition tribunal was vested with such powers.
By cancelling her declaration, Binani contended that INEC usurped the powers of the election petition tribunal which was the only court vested with powers on a declaration from the conduct of an election.
In the application, she averred that a judicial review existed to enable the superior court to checkmate the actions and decisions of inferior courts as well as the legislative and administrative arm of government including agencies and public officers.
The applicant further submitted that INEC, being an agency of the government, could have its actions, records, and decisions checked by the court and only a court could nullify the actions of an INEC official and not INEC itself.
Politics
BREAKING: INEC declares Fintiri winner of Adamawa guber poll
Latest Politics updatein nigeria
The incumbent Governor of Adamawa state, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has been declared the winner of the 2023 governorship poll. Declaring the results, the returning officer of the election Professor Muhammed Mele, said the governor polled a total of 430,861 votes. Aishatu Binani of the APC polled a total of 396788 Supplementary election results Total no. […]
The post BREAKING: INEC declares Fintiri winner of Adamawa guber poll appeared first on Daily Trust.
The incumbent Governor of Adamawa state, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has been declared the winner of the 2023 governorship poll.
Declaring the results, the returning officer of the election Professor Muhammed Mele, said the governor polled a total of 430,861 votes.
Aishatu Binani of the APC polled a total of 396788
Supplementary election results
Total no. Of registered voters ; 42929
Total no of accredited voters; 16422
APC scored 6513
PDP scored 9337
No. Of rejected votes ; 399
Total votes cast; 16398
For the whole results;
TotalNumber of registered voters; 2196566
Total number of accredited voters; 876387
APC polled a total of 398788
While PDP polled a total of 430861
Number if rejected votes; 15287
Total votes cast; 869106
The post BREAKING: INEC declares Fintiri winner of Adamawa guber poll appeared first on Daily Trust.
Politics
Fintiri Wins Adamawa Gov Elections After Long-Drawn Process
Latest Politics updatein nigeria
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of PDP has been officially declared the winner of the 2023 Adamawa State Governorship election, for a second term in office.
As announced by the returning officer of the election, Ahmadu Fintiri of the PDP scored a total of 430, 821 votes to defeat the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Aisha Binani who got 396,788.
Read Also: IGP Sacks Adamawa CP Over Supplementary Elections
In the rerun election held on last Saturday, Senator Aishatu “Binani” Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came in second with 6,513 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Fintiri received 9,337 votes.
Fintiri received 430,861 votes overall, defeating Binani, who received 398,738 votes, to win the election.
A number of political scheming occurred before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made its statement at 5:49 pm on Tuesday.
The INEC declared the governorship election held last month to be inconclusive, thus a run-off vote was planned for last Saturday.
Contrary to the Electoral Act’s rules, the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa Ari, prematurely pronounced Binani the victor on Sunday as collation was taking place.
When a state’s governor is up for election, only the returning officer has the authority under Section 25 of the Electoral Act of 2022 to proclaim the winner and announce the results at the state collation center.
Incidentally, results had been declared for only 10 of the 20 local government areas (LGAs) in the supplementary poll, which indicated Fintiri was leading, having won in seven LGAs next to Binani’s three.
In the collation announced on Tuesday, Mele Lamido, the returning officer for the Adamawa governorship election, declared Fintiri as the winner after the collation of the supplementary election results.
The final results show that Aisha Binani, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), scored APC 398,788 votes, while Fintiri, the incumbent governor, and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had 430,861 votes to win the poll.
FINAL RESULTS
APC 396,788
PDP 430,861
Total number of registered 2,196,566
Accredited voters 876,387
Valid votes 853,819
Rejected votes 15,287
Total votes cast 869,106