PDP demands arrest of Adamawa REC over supplementary election results compromise

By OUR REPORTER

For what has generally been described as plot to rob Adamawa electote of mandate they freely gave as they went to poll to choose their next governor, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for arrest of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC)’s Resident Electoral Commissioner ( REC), Professor Hudu Yunusa Ari.

Ari sparked protests when early Sunday he caused a breach by going ahead declaring the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Aisha Dahiru a.k.a. Binani, as winner of the gubernatorial election and pronounced, amidst kicks, her Governor-elect.

The REC, who was accompanied by the state Commissioner of Police, declared Binani Governor-elect midway to the collation of Saturday April 15, 2023 supplementary election in the state as only 10 of 20 Local Government Areas results were released with the other 10 still being awaites.

This online newspaper reports that Binani was never at the lead in both March 18 inconclusive election results announced and the 10 LGAs results declared on Saturday as the Governor and governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ahmadu Fintiri had led and maintained his lead Saturday.

The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Debo Ologunagba, on Sunday, said Ari usurped the function of the Returning Officer in the governorship contest by purportedly declaring the APC candidate as winner of the poll.

However, INEC National Commissioner for Voters Education, Mr. Festus Okoye, in a statement said the declaration was null and void.

Nevertheless, the PDP, while declaring Ari’s action as subversive, called the electoral body to immediately complete the collation of the election results and declare its candidate, Ahmadu Fintiri, as winner of the poll, as there are evidence that he scored majority of lawful votes in the contest.

‘The PDP calls on the people of Adamawa State, Nigerians and the International Community to disregard the purported declaration of the defeated Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aishatu Binani as winner of the Adamawa State Governorship election.

“The PDP also demands for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, for making such illegal declaration in criminal usurpation of the duties and powers of the Returning Officer, Prof Mohammed Mele, while collation was on-going.

“It is even more absurd that the Adamawa State REC did not only usurp the powers of the Returning Officer but attempted to declare a winner without figures in reckless violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC Guidelines as well as the sensibility of the people of Adamawa State.

“This reprehensible criminal conduct of the Adamawa State REC confirms the earlier alarms by the PDP which demanded for his immediate removal from Adamawa State following evidence of his complicity and being compromised by the APC and its candidate to manipulate the election in their favour notwithstanding the votes by the people of Adamawa State.

“Mallam Yunusa Ari’s action is subversive and calculated to cause crisis in Adamawa State, destabilize our democracy and peaceful co-existence as a nation. We call on the Inspector General of Police to immediately arrest Mallam Yunusa Ari and make him face the full wrath of the law for his conduct.

“The PDP notes the pronouncement by INEC Headquarters that the action of Mallam Yunusa Ari is ‘null, void and of no effect’. The PDP therefore demands that INEC Headquarters should immediately direct the Returning Officer to conclude collation, announce the results from the Polling Units and declare our candidate, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri as winner, having scored the majority of lawful votes cast.

“From the results already collated across the 69 Polling Units where the supplementary elections held and which are on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, Governor Fintiri clearly won the election,”the opposition party stated.