From Taiwo Amodu, Leon Usigbe and Austin Ajayi
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded the arrest of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, for declaring the purported result of the gubernatorial election in the state even before the conclusion of collation.
Addressing a press conference at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja on Sunday, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, who made the demand also alleged that the PDP is in possession of a confessional statement affirming that some people received the sum of N2 billion to compromise the election.
He said the REC should be arrested “for making such illegal declaration in criminal usurpation of the duties and powers of the Returning Officer, Prof Mohammed Mele, while collation was ongoing.”
Ologunagba asserted that the attempt to steal the mandate of people amounts to visiting “violence” on them
He warned that crisis in Adamawa State can only be averted with the declaration of the candidate of the party, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, who it says is the true winner of the gubernatorial election.
The party spokesman said: “I believe that INEC headquarters is sufficiently embarrassed by now. And if they are, they should stop this violence on the conscience of Adamawa people because violence needs not only be physical.
“When you continue to provoke the emotions of people and begin to disregard their feelings, people who went up to the wards and polling units to vote and they voted and then somebody takes it away, what violence can be more than that?
“Violence to their conscience, violence to their integrity, violence to their own sensibilities. I think this must stop.
“We are calling on INEC right now to conclude Adamawa supplementary election and declare the candidate that had won, the Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri.”
Ologunagba had, in a statement earlier, called on the people of Adamawa State, Nigerians and the International Community to disregard the purported declaration of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani, as winner of the Adamawa State governorship election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has already disowned the declaration by the REC and directed him to report to the national headquarters for his actions while collation of results was yet to be concluded.
The PDP spokesman further alleged: “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 conduct of the Adamawa State REC confirms the earlier alarms by the PDP which demanded for his immediate removal from Adamawa State.
“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 noted the pronouncement by INEC Headquarters that the action of Mallam Yunusa Ari is “null, void and of no effect.”
The party, therefore, demanded 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 statement declared.
It also demanded that INEC should without further delay announce the results as already collated from the Polling Units and declare Governor Fintiri as winner.
“Anything short of this will not be accepted by our Party and the people of Adamawa State,” it said.
How REC made controversial declaration
Tension and uncertainty pervaded Adamawa State on Sunday aftermath the controversial announcement of Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani as governor -elect in the state by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr Hudu Yunusa-Ari.
Hudu made the declaration in the presence of the Commissioner of Police sent to cover the election, the Director Department of State Service (DSS) and the commandant, Civil Defence Corps.
Hudu sneaked into the collation centre around 9:00am on Sunday instead of the scheduled 11:00am to declare that Senator Binani, having scored the highest number of votes without stating the figure she scored, declared her the winner of the rerun.
He said: “Incumbent Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of PDP pulled 221,303 votes,” adding that Binani of APC got the highest votes without quoting any figure.
INEC voids REC’s announcement of Binani
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has voided the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani, as winner of the Adamawa State governorship election.
The commission made the disclosure in a statement signed by Festus Okoye, National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education.
The clarification by Okoye was on the heels of the announcement of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for the North-East state, Hudu Yunusa- Ari of Senator Aishatu Binani as the winner after the supplementary election conducted on Saturday.
Giving reason for voiding the declaration of Binani as winner, Okoye noted that “the action of the REC is a usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer. It is null, void and of no effect.”
The statement further revealed that the collation of the result of the supplementary election had been suspended while the REC and the Returning Officer had been invited to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja for interrogation.
INEC also expressed concern over what it called the harassment of two of its national commissioners sent to Adamawa to ensure peaceful conduct of the election.
It equally tasked security agencies “to provide them with necessary security and ensure that nothing untoward befalls them.”
They want to upturn democracy in Adamawa, Atiku cries out
Former vice-president and 2023 presidential candidate of PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has raised the alarm over an alleged game plan to upturn the democratic wishes of the people of Adamawa State in the governorship election in the state.
His observation came after the voided declaration of the election result by Adamawa REC, Yunusa-Ari even before the final collation.
Atiku said, in a press release issued on Sunday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, that the initial decision of the REC to declare the APC candidate, Senator Aisha Binani, as the winner of the election, is a case study to the shambolic nature of the 2023 elections in general.
He stated: “Here in Adamawa, we are witnesses to a novel practice in election management where a Resident Electoral Commissioner announced the loser of an election as a winner.
“It is not in doubt that INEC has approached the Adamawa State election with a preset agenda of declaring the APC at all cost.
“We also wish to inform the world that such behaviour by INEC has a natural consequence of unsettling the peace and security of the society.
“We have seen how INEC conducted the February 25 and March 18 elections against the run of play and challenging cheated candidates to go to the court, knowing full well the agenda that they are up to.
“It must be put on record that the people of Adamawa State will not allow themselves to be cheated three times in a row. It must also be put on record that whatever the consequences of the scheme being scripted, both the INEC and those vested with state powers should be blamed for the consequences of such actions.
“That the APC candidate has a prepared acceptance speech is a pointer to the guarantee of a false victory which the INEC must have promised her.
The people of Adamawa shall not allow this injustice to pass without being challenged.
“We demand the immediate resumption of the collation of results and its finalisation today.
“It is also our demand that the Adamawa REC and any other parties complicit in this treasonable act should be arrested immediately and prosecuted to the full extent of the law to serve as a deterrent to anti-democratic forces who may want to torpedo our democracy and provoke violence in our country.”
PDP’s mandate cannot be stollen —BoT
In the same vein, the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) has vowed that the mandate of the party cannot be stolen from them.
A statement by the board Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, cited the Electoral Act 2022 and the INEC guidelines regarding the 2023 electoral process, noting how Nigerians watched in dismay the display of disregard to the rule of law allegedly by the REC.
It pointed out that accompanied by security officials, and without following due process contained in the INEC guidelines and the Electoral Act, the REC took it on himself to assume responsibility for declaring results and hurriedly declared a winner in the Adamawa supplementary elections as results collation were still ongoing for 10 LGAs.
It stated: “So far, results from the collated 10 LGAs indicated that the PDP was still in clear lead over the closest contestant. This open disregard for the rule of law is a pointer that the Electoral Commission is compromised from within and Nigerians are expecting INEC to act justly as a neutral entity with respect to the supplementary elections taking place in Adamawa and other states in Nigeria.
“With the plethora of controversies surrounding the general election so far, we call upon INEC to ensure that the outcome of the supplementary election is not added to the list of controversial elections conducted by the body.
“We also call upon members of our great party, PDP, to remain law-abiding and calm as we continue to follow developments from the supplementary elections to ensure that the will of the people of Adamawa State is not thwarted by the few who have no regards for the law.
“We appreciate the media, local and international observers as they continue their jobs in ensuring that we have a Nigeria that is governed by true democratic tenets.”
Yiaga Africa, CDD condemn REC’s action
Prominent pro-democracy organisations also asked INEC to relieve Yunusa-Ari of his position, as well as take quick and decisive steps to restore the integrity of the commission.
Yiaga Africa frowned on the action of the Adamawa REC that triggered confusion, calling on INEC to suspend Hugu and take measures to protect the integrity of the electoral body.
In its twitter handle, the body stated that the declaration undermined the provisions of the Electoral Act and other extant laws guiding the conduct of elections in the country.
“We’ve received reports of an illegal declaration of results by the @inecnigeria REC for #Adamawa in violation of S 64 & 65 Electoral Act 2022 &Part 3, INEC guidelines which vets the power to declare results solely on a returning officer appointed by INEC. We call on @inecnigeria to nullify the illegal declaration, suspend the REC for Adamawa State and take urgent actions to protect the integrity of the process.”
Similarly, another leading pro-democracy organisation, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in a statement on its twitter handle, condemned the REC on the announcement of the governorship election.
The PDP agent at the collation centre and firmer Minister of Health, Dr Idi Hong equally demanded for the arrest of Yunusa-Ari for causing a needless controversy and exercising the power outside his mandate under the law.
REC’s declaration provocative —Fintiri
Governor Ahamdu Fintiri of Adamawa State has called on residents of the state to remain calm following the declaration by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State, Mr Hudu Yunusa Ari that the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aishatu Dahiru Binani won the election,
Addressing a press conference in Yola, the state capital, the governor urged the people to stay peaceful and go about their normal duties, describing the action of Adamawa REC as provocative.
He accused him of pushing the collective will of the people to the limit, stressing that he and his party and supporters had prepared for the rerun after the initial election was declared inconclusive by INEC.
“As civilised citizens, who were committed to democratic ethos, we accepted the situation in good faith and prepared for the rerun.
“Yesterday (Saturday, 15th April), the rerun was held peacefully across the state, the appropriate officers commenced the process of the collation.”
Fintiri assured the people that he would not allow anybody to undermine their right to determine who governs them.
“The action of the REC is no doubt provocative, but in this situation, I appeal for calm as always. I assure you that as your leader, I will ensure nobody thwarts your democratic rights.
“The independent National Electoral Commission has demonstrated its umpire status by first distancing itself from the act of the REC and assured that the right thing will be done,” he emphasised.
The governor commended the Returning Officer in the election, Professor Mele Kyari, “whose resilience and resolve to not only exercise your democratic rights but to also protect it.
“Fellow citizens, once again, I call on everyone to remain peaceful and law-abiding trusting that the world is watching the enemies of democracy at the height of their shameless brigandage.
“Nobody should take the law into their hands. Let’s peacefully await the next directive from INEC believing that they do know that the integrity of the commission is on the test.’
DSS investigating assault on operatives In Adamawa —Spokesperson
The Department of State Services (DSS) has said that it had commenced a full investigation into the circumstances that led to the attack of its staff by some political miscreants in Adamawa State during Saturday re-run in the state
In a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday by its spokesperson, Dr Peter Afunnaya, the Service implored concerned parties in the state to remain peace-loving and shun violence.
The statement read: “The attention of the Department of State Services (DSS) has been drawn to a trending video on the social media in which someone suspected to be its staff was allegedly manhandled by some political miscreants in Adamawa State. This followed developments arising from the supplementary governorship election in the state.
“ The Service wishes to inform the public that it has commenced a full investigation into the circumstances that led to the incident.
“ While calling for calm, the Service also implores concerned parties in Adamawa State to remain peace loving and shun violence.”
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