PDP, LPWant Adamawa By-election Nullified

Candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) have challenged the recently conducted Ganye State Constituency by-election in Adamawa State at the Election Petitions Tribunal, asking for its nullification.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared the candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), Misa Musa, as the winner of the election.

Buba Joda of the PDP and LP’s Benjamin Brandford, told the tribunal that the election did not comply with the Electoral Act and prayed the court to nullify the exercise.

In his separate petition filed on the  September 6, 2025, Buba through his Counsel, L. N. Nzadon joined Hon. Musa, APC as well as INEC as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents.

Hon. Buba, prayed the tribunal to declare that the return of Hon. Misa Musa as member representing Ganye Constituency in the bye-election held on August 16, 2025, was invalid by reason of non compliance with the provisions of sections 51(2) and (3) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The petitioner urged the tribunal to order Hon. Misa Musa to return the certificate of return issued to him by the electoral body as winner of the bye-election.

Equally, he appealed to the tribunal to order for a re-run election at 5 polling units where the exercise was characterised by over voting and other electoral malpractices.

Likewise, in his petition, the candidate of the LP, Hon. Brandford, who polled 68 votes only, alleged that the election was invalid across the constituency for non- compliance with the Electoral Act, Manuals for Election Officials and Regulations and Guidelines for the conduct of the elections.

The petitioner and his party joined Hon. Misa Musa, APC, Hon. Buba Mohammed Joda, PDP and INEC as 1st to 5th respondents in his petition marked: EPT/AD/SHA/01/25.

Hon. Benjamin, through his Counsel, Samson Bukar, averred that the votes cast at some polling units exceeded the authentic number of accredited voters because according to him, some voters voted more than once.

According to him, the agent of the 5th respondent arrived for the election at numerous polling units late and declared voting closed even when intending voters were still in queue and waiting patiently to exercise their franchise.

He further alleged that the agent of the 5th respondent cancelled and altered results to conceal over voting and manipulated it in favour of the 1st respondent and his political party.

Hon. Benjamin appealed to the tribunal to nullify the declaration and return of the lawmaker by INEC as winner of the election for non compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, insisting that the non compliance substantially affected the result of the exercise.