Aishat Dahiru Binani, the Adamawa State, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last gubernatorial poll has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of making desperate efforts to arrest and detain the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa-Ari.
This, she said is a ploy to prevent Ari from testifying for her at the ongoing State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
According to Binani, the electoral umpire is working to frustrate her petition against the declaration of Adamu Fintri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the poll.
Speaking to newsmen, on Saturday, on behalf of Binani, the APC Returning Officer at the Mach 18 election and the re-run of April 15, Mustapha Umar Madawaki accused INEC of working with the state government to thwart the diligent prosecution of the petition.
Madawaki claimed that INEC wanted the suspended REC apprehended and kept out of circulation to make him unavailable as a witness for the governorship candidate.
He however called on well-meaning Nigerians to call INEC to order so as to allow Dahiru reclaim her mandate obtained from the poll.
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“To my mind, that is a major reason INEC is working overtime, trying to prevent the former Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Hudu Yunusa Ari, from testifying before the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
“They are afraid of the revelations he would make. Their desperation is so brazen that Justice A.O Manji was forced to openly question the INEC lawyer on why they are in a hurry to get Hudu Yunusa Ari arrested when there is a clear court order against that.
“To my mind also, that is the same reason that the Force Headquarters under the former Inspector General of Police IGP shot itself in the foot when it doctored the earlier investigative report into the Adamawa elections that found no indictable offence against Barrister Hudu Yunusa Ari to another one they could use to quickly arrest and incarcerate him.
“We have both the original investigative report and the doctored one at our disposal. We are aware that these are serious charges and have, therefore, refrained from elaborating further on some of the matters because they are before the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal,” he said.
The Returning Officer further alleged that Binani is a victim of gender discrimination in her governorship ambition.
He however said that Embassies and Diplomatic Missions would be carried along in the battle to regain the alleged stolen mandate of the governorship candidate.
