· Commission suspends REC
· Suspension of Ari not enough, REC playing INEC’s script – PDP kicks
The Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday, directed the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Ari, to stay away from the state office and avoid all INEC activities following his role in the illegal declaration of the Adamawa State governorship election result, while collation was ongoing.
Hudu had early Sunday, causes a stir, when he sneaked into the Adamawa state governorship election collation centre in Yola and usurped the role of the Returning Officer in a brazen manner, when he declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aishatu Dahiru, winner of the election, even when collation of results were ongoing.
The act threw the commission into a confused state, though it swiftly suspended further collation and declaration of the Adamawa state governorship election results, even as it summoned the REC and the Returning Officer, as well as other officials in connection with the election to its national headquarters in Abuja.
Announcing the suspension of Yunusa Hudu Ari, INEC in a memo, INEC/SEC/442/V.II, signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, sent to Ari on Monda, said, “I hereby convey the Commission’s decision that you (Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari), Resident Electoral Commissioner, Adamawa State should stay away from the commission’s office in Adamawa State immediately until further notice. The Administrative Secretary has been directed to take full charge of INEC, Adamawa State with immediate effect.”
Also in a short statement titled, “Status of the Resident Electoral Commissioner fr Adamawa” INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Educattion, Festus Okoye stated, “Following his purported declaration of the result for the Adamawa State Governorship election yesterday Sunday 16th April 2023, the Commission has withdrawn its delegated powers from Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari, mni, as the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the State.
“Accordingly, he has been directed to stay away from the Commission’s office in Adamawa State forthwith.
Meanwhile, the Administrative Secretary has been directed to take over the affairs of the State office until further notice.”
Reacting to the development, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded Presidential election, Atiku Abubakar, has claimed that the electoral misconduct perpetrated by the Adamawa Resident Electoral Commission, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, was nothing different from what the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, did during the Presidential poll.
Atiku in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu on Monday said that the national leadership of INEC could not pretend to be unaware of the many allegations hanging on the neck of the Adamawa REC.
He added that the suspension of the Adamawa REC without his arrest and prosecution was merely a slap in the wrist.
“It is crystal clear even to the blind that the Adamawa REC learnt well from the INEC Chairman” he said.
He went further to explain that over a month ago, Sahara Reporters published an audio clip where the Adamawa REC was heard directing an election official, Hammajam Mohammed, to rig the governorship election in favour of Binani.
“In the leaked audio, Yunusa told Mohammed to do everything humanly possible to make Binani win. He told the electoral official that he was instructed by a higher authority to make Binani win. Governor Ahmadu Fintiri complained severally about the compromised REC but INEC did nothing about it.
“This carefully orchestrated action is a reflection of the electoral heist of February 25, 2023 when the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, decided to announce Bola Tinubu of the APC as winner despite the many irregularities and complaints from several opposition parties. Indeed, Yunusa-Ari acted like his father and boss, Mahmood Yakubu.”
Atiku said that the Adamawa fiasco came as no surprise since INEC had always been in bed with Binani and had even admitted in a statement that it awarded a contract to one of her companies.
He added, “INEC had in a statement by National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, admitted to awarding a sensitive contract to the Binani Printing Press Limited, a firm owned by the APC governorship candidate.”
Atiku said Yakubu’s name had become a by-word for scorn after conducting the most flawed election in the history of Nigeria.
He added, “How will Mahmood Yakubu be remembered? This is a man who promised over and over again to upload the results of elections in real-time unto the INEC’s portal and failed to do so yet he lacks the decency to apologize to over 200 million people. Nearly two months after that shambolic election, all the results have yet to be uploaded.”