Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa state on Wednesday received certificate of return as governor-elect for the north-eastern state.
Fintiri and his the deputy, Kaletapwa Farauta received their certificates of return at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate was declared winner of the Adamawa governorship supplementary election on Tuesday, having garnered 430,861 votes to defeat his closest rival, Aisha Dahiru-Binani of the All Progressive Congress (APC) who scored 398,788 votes.
INEC had on Sunday suspended the collation of the election results after Hudu Ari, the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) for Adamawa state declared Binani winner while the process was ongoing.
The commission however, resumed collation on Tuesday afternoon after which it declared Fintiri winner while punitive measures have been taken against the REC who has been barred from office and recommended for police probe and prosecution.
Speaking after collecting his certificate of return from Baba Billa, INEC National Commissioner for North-East, Fintiri said the exercise was his toughest election because of the external manipulation that was coming from Abuja.
He said stakeholders in the electoral process should learn from the lessons they went through in the last one week so that they can continue to build on the process and on the country’s democracy.
Read also: Fintiri wins Adamawa poll, INEC wants suspended REC probed
“It is unfortunate that we have to go through all these to arrive at this moment today. This should have been finished and done since on the 18th of March. But unfortunately, because of the attitude of some individuals among us, and some discretions of some politicians, it has to drag this long for us to be here.
“But thank God, INEC with very wonderful and excellent personnel has redeemed the whole process. They redeemed the image battered by so- called REC and today, Nigerians have cause to celebrate democracy.
“Going forward, we should learn from the lessons that we went through in the last one week so that we can continue to build on the process and on our democracy as stakeholders.
“For Nigerians and the international community that have stood for this democracy, I say thank you.
“Yes, it was my toughest election because of the external manipulation that was coming from Abuja. They were interested in seeing that they strangle the democracy and you can see to your dismay that even the security agencies that are supposed to protect our democracy were involved in strangling the democracy in Nigeria.
“Unfortunately, the military had to get involved to save the democracy in Adamawa. It is quite unfortunate, the governor said.
Fintiri recalled that he has become a veteran of inconclusive elections from which he has learnt a lot, adding that he won the election last Saturday squarely from the beginning.
“The REC from the beginning has been manipulating the election to give it to the APC but unfortunately because of the quantum of voting, he became confused and had to declare the election inconclusive believing that if he is given the second opportunity, he will be able to manipulate but God did not allow him.
“We won the inconclusive election again squarely and he had to do what he did disgracefully. I think INEC has taken steps and they are going to prosecute him but I think the right place to prosecute him is in Adamawa because he committed the offence in my land and I am going to instruct the Ministry of Justice to ensure that he is prosecuted and taken to jail,” he added.
