Court postpones Adamawa supplementary guber polls indefinitely

By : Timileyin Omilana

Date: 21 March 2019 3:52pm WAT

[FILES] An electoral official looks at documents at the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on March 10, 2019. - Nigeria's election authorities announced the suspension of activities in volatile opposition-held Rivers State on March 10 citing violence and threats to its staff, as tensions rise in the wake of closely-watched regional elections. Counting is continuing across the country after the March 9 elections for governors in 29 of Nigeria's 36 states, all state assemblies and administrative councils in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja. Results are expected in the coming days. (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP)

A worker holds an election poster to be displayed at a polling station, at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) central office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on March 8, 2019. – Nigerian voters will go to the polls on March 9 to elect governors and lawmakers in 29 of the nation’s 36 states two weeks after presidential and national assembly elections in which Buhari was elected for a second term. (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP)

A High Court sitting in Yola has ordered the indefinite postponement of Adamawa State governorship supplementary election scheduled for Saturday.

In his ruling, the judge, Abdul-azeez Waziri said the poll should be placed on hold pending his ruling on an interlocutory injunction barring the Independent National Electoral Commission from conducting the polls.

On March 14, Waziri ordered an injunction restraining INEC from conducting a supplementary poll following a motion ex parte filed by Movement of Restoration for Defence of Democracy, MRPD.
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MRPD is asking the court to cancel the election on the grounds that the party’s logo was not on the ballot paper during the March 9 election.

INEC had ordered a rerun in six states, including Adamawa State.

In Adamawa State, electoral commission declared the poll inconclusive after collating results from all the 21 local government areas in the state.
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The state returning officer, Andrew Haruna, said the margin of votes between the People’s Democratic Party candidate, Ahmadu Fintiri who score higher votes and his All Progressives Congress counterpart, Governor Muhammad Jibrilla, is lesser than total votes voided in about 40 polling units.

Haruna said there are 40,988 votes that were cancelled in 44 polling units across the state. The margin between the two parties was 32,476.
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Court postpones Adamawa supplementary guber polls indefinitely

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