The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, to arrest the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Adamawa State, Hudu Ari, for declaring unlawful results in the state’s supplemental gubernatorial election.
Debo Ologunagba, the PDP’s National Publicly Secretary, made the appeal in a statement immediately after the All Progressives Congress (APC) declared Aisha Dahiru, widely known as Binani, the winner of the race.
Mr Ari pronounced the APC candidate the winner on Sunday at the coalition center in Yola, the state capital.
Observers and party operatives who observed the pronouncement claimed it was made while the election results were still being tallied.
Furthermore, the electoral law says that the winner of an election shall be announced by the returning officer, who is generally an academic selected by INEC.
Mr Ari, on the other hand, seized the responsibilities and powers of the State Returning Officer, Mohammed Mele, a professor at the University of Maiduguri.
Mr. Ologunagba described the conduct as a calculated attempt to undermine democracy and the country’s peaceful coexistence.
As a result, he asked the IGP to ensure that the Adamawa REC “faces the full wrath of the law for his behavior.”
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calls on the people of Adamawa State, Nigerians, and the international community to dismiss the supposed pronouncement of the defeated candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani, as winner of the Adamawa State Governorship election,” he stated.
“The PDP further demands the immediate arrest and prosecution of Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, for making such illegal declaration in criminal takeover of the duties and powers of the Returning Officer, Prof Mohammed Mele, while collation was ongoing.”
Mr Ari declaring Ms Dahiru without statistics was ludicrous, according to the PDP spokesperson, and was a breach of the country’s constitution.
“It is even more absurd that the Adamawa State REC not only usurped the powers of the Returning Officer, but also attempted to declare a winner without figures, in flagrant violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC Guidelines, and the sensibility of the people of Adamawa State.”
“This heinous criminal conduct of the Adamawa State REC confirms the PDP’s earlier warnings, which demanded 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 favor despite the votes of the people of Adamawa State.”
“Mallam Yunusa Ari’s move is subversive and meant to generate a crisis in Adamawa State, destabilize our democracy, and disrupt our peaceful coexistence as a nation.” We demand that the Inspector General of Police arrest Mallam Yunusa Ari immediately and hold him fully accountable for his actions.”
Mr Ologunagba also requested INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu to immediately order Mr Mele to resume the collation process.
“The PDP notes INEC Headquarters’ declaration that Mallam Yunusa Ari’s conduct is “null, invalid, and of no consequence.” “As a result, the PDP requests that INEC Headquarters immediately instruct the Returning Officer to complete collation, announce the results from the Polling Units, and recognize our candidate, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, as winner, having received the majority of legitimate votes cast,” he added.
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“Based on the results already aggregated throughout the 69 Polling Units where the additional polls were held and which are available on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) webpage, Governor Fintiri definitely won the election,” he said.
“As a result, our party requests that INEC release the results of the polling units as soon as possible and proclaim Governor Fintiri the winner.” Anything less would not be tolerated by our party or the people of Adamawa State.
