Reverend Eric Theman, candidate of the party, had approached the court with the suit, claiming exclusion of the party's logo on the ballot paper. But Justice Abdulaziz Waziri ruled that Theman and MRDD had failed to prove their case, saying "he who asserts must prove".
Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, Governor-Elect of Adamawa State, has survived the first attempt to have his governorship victory taken away from him — just hours after securing it.
To emerge victor in the Adamawa State governorship election, Fintiri had polled a total of 376,552 votes to beat Jibrilla Bindow, incumbent Governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who secured 336,386 votes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared him winner shortly before 1am on Friday. Hours later, the High Court sitting in Yola dismissed the case filed by the Movement for The Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD) seeking the cancellation of the election and the ordering of a fresh one.
Reverend Eric Theman, candidate of the party, had approached the court with the suit, claiming exclusion of the party's logo on the ballot paper. But Justice Abdulaziz Waziri ruled that Theman and MRDD had failed to prove their case, saying "he who asserts must prove".
Also on Friday, Kassim Gaidam, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in charge of Adamawa State, issued Governor-Elect Fintiri with a Certificate of Return.
Speaking at the occasion, which held at the INEC headquarters in Yola on Friday, Fintiri thanked the electorate for their confidence in him.