By Umar Yusuf, Yola
A Magistrate Court sitting in Yola has fined the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship aspirant in Adamawa State, Engr. Omar Suleiman, ₦3 million for violating the state’s environmental regulations by pasting campaign posters on public structures.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Musa Adamu, held that the matter was administrative rather than criminal in nature.
Suleiman had initially been arraigned over the alleged offence, but during proceedings, the magistrate ruled that the case should be treated as a breach of the Adamawa State environmental regulations and not as a criminal matter.
The court subsequently imposed a ₦3 million fine on the defendant.
Magistrate Adamu also directed Suleiman to advise his supporters against pasting campaign posters on public infrastructure, noting that such actions contravene the Executive Order issued by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri regulating the use of public structures for political campaign materials.
Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the defendant, Barrister Bals Sanga, welcomed the court’s decision, saying the defence had maintained that the matter was administrative rather than criminal.
According to him, the ruling clarified the legal nature of the case.
Also speaking, Professor Jeffery Baminian, who represented the Omarrana Campaign Organisation, described the judgment as fair, commending the court for its handling of the matter.
