ADAMAWA: Tension as INEC declares APC’s Binani Governor-elect under without collated results
*Abuja summons REC, RO, others over suspected electoral fraud
By OUR REPORTER
Suspected anti-democratic behaviour on the part of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) occurred in Adamawa State on Sunday, as the electoral umpire declared Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Aisha Dahiru popularly known as Binani, as winner of the state’s governorship election without election results.
According to our reporter, the declaration, carried out by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the state, Barrister Hudu Yunusa, following the supplementary election held Saturday April 15, 2023 heightened tension in the state to the extent that it took military personnel to take over the streets of the state’s capital, Yola, to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
We gathered that INEC in the state had on Saturday April 15 announced adjournment of collation of Adamawa supplementary governorship election results till 11 am on Sunday April 16.
Saturday adjournment was announced after only 10 of 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) election results were collated with 10 more LGAs still awaiting collation.
The INEC, while announcing adjournment, had placed all stakeholders including members of the Nigerian Press covering the election process to reconvene by 11am on Sunday for the continuation of the collation with the remaining 10 LGAs, only for the INEC man to have come into the collation 9am and declared APC’s Binani Governor-elect, to the chagrin of the nation and those following the process across Adamawa State.
Our reporter, as at the time of filing this report, said INEC headquarters in Abuja, noticing the danger posed by its Adamawa’s representatives, had summoned the REC, Returning Officer and all officials involved in the process explain where and how they got non-collated election results with which they announced APC’s Benani as Governor-elect for the state.
