By Daniel Edu
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has declared the incumbent Senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District, Elisha Ishaku Abbo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as not duly elected in the February 25th National Assembly election.
The Appeal Court has instead proclaimed Rev. Amos Kumai Yohanna, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), as the rightful winner of the election. The court has also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to revoke the Certificate of Return issued to the 2nd Respondent, Abbo, and transfer it to the 1st Petitioner, Yohanna.
The initial result, declared by INEC on February 27, showed Senator Abbo, the incumbent, winning with 71,927 votes, defeating PDP’s Yohanna, who had 61,895 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, the PDP and Yohanna filed a case with the tribunal, alleging irregularities and violations of the Electoral Act. They argued that the election was tainted by corrupt practices and non-compliance with electoral laws, citing issues like overvoting, false entries, and the alteration and cancellation of votes at various polling units.
The tribunal, however, dismissed the petition and ordered the petitioner, Yohanna, to pay damages of N600,000 to Abbo. Unhappy with this ruling, Yohanna pursued the case further to the Court of Appeal, which has now ruled in his favor.
This legal battle between the two parties is believed to be influenced by political rivalry, with Governor Ahmadu Fintiri allegedly supporting Yohanna in a bid to unseat Abbo, who had defected from the PDP to the APC. Their strained relationship reportedly began after their joint electoral victory in 2019, caused by an intra-party power struggle within the PDP.
