Shehu Sani, former senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, has reacted to the declaration of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani as the winner in the governorship election in Adamawa State.
Information Nigeria had reported that controversy emanated in the early hours of Sunday when the wrong official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Hudu Yunusa Ari, declared Binani winner, ahead stipulated time.
The electoral body, however, overruled the declaration, suspended the collation of results and summoned Ari who is the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) and other officials to its headquarters at Abuja.
Sani in a statement released on Sunday said the REC’s announcement is a move to truncate democracy.
The former lawmaker also described the action of the REC as a civilian coup.
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He said, “It was obvious that the REC was out to truncate democracy in the state and by extension Nigeria if his action was allowed unchecked.
“The declaration by Adamawa REC is an equivalent of a civilian coup which stands condemnable. Our democracy can’t survive if we condone the such brazen act of criminality and brigandage.
“Our political culture and attitude to election need chemotherapy. The dangerous trend in our electoral system has gone beyond the culture of violence, vote buying and falsification of results to the most obnoxiously and brazenly crude phase of taking over the collation centre, seizing the mic and illegally declaring the results of an election.”
Speaking further in a Twitter post, he wrote, “Adamawa REC defecate on the rules of Inec and the constitution of our country.
“The Adamawa REC even has Policemen by his side to announce ‘the coup.’”
