Declare Fintiri winner, PDP tells INEC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for declaring Adamawa governorship election as inconclusive, calling on the commission to declare its candidate, Ahmadu Fintiri as winner.

INEC had declared the election inconclusive after announcing results from all the 21 local government areas based on the fact that the margin of lead of 32,476 was lower than 40,998 registered voters in polling units where election was cancelled.

At a press briefing addressed by a former governor of the state, Boni Haruna, in Yola on Tuesday, the PDP argued that INEC should have considered the number of voters who collected their Permanent Voter Card (PVCs) which is lower than the margin of lead rather than the total number of registered voters in the affected polling units.

The PDP candidate, Ahmadu Fintiri scored higher votes as he polled 367,472 votes; while his counterpart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) got 334,995 votes.

“We’ve been able to establish that the number of PVCs collected by voters in the 44 PUs is 31,027. So, 31,027 are the only eligible voters in those units. If there is going to be a rerun, the 31,027 people who collected their PVCs are less than PDP’s margin of win. How then would the re-run affect the leading position of the PDP? So, there was no basis in declaring the Adamawa State governorship election inconclusive,” he said.

The party therefore rejected the declaration of the election as inconclusive, calling on  INEC to rescind its decision and declare the PDP candidate, Umaru Fintiri, as the winner.

Meanwhile, the APC had yesterday called for cancellation of more polling units in the PDP strongholds where serious electoral malpractice and violence allegedly took place.

Speaking to journalist in Yola, the APC National Vice Chairman in North East, Salihu Mustapha, alleged that INEC ignored credible petitions about physical attack on APC agents as well as widespread voting without card reader accreditation in most polling units in Madagali, Michika, Numan, Demsa and Lamurde.