…Resumes collation of election of results in Adamawa
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has resolved to write the Inspector General of Police (IGP), demanding the immediate investigation and prosecution of its Resident Electoral Commissioner in Adamawa State (REC), Hudu Yunusa Ari over what it described as gross misconduct and breach of the law.
This was as the Professor Yakubu Mahmood-led management team of INEC equally resolved to request the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, to draw the attention of the appointing authority to the unwholesome behaviour of Hudu Yunusa Ari as a REC for further action.
The resolve of the management of the electoral body was part of its resolutions reached on Tuesday over the Hudu Ari’s deliberate attempt to truncate the process of the supplementary election in Adamawa State by declaring a winner while collation off election results was yet to be concluded.
The INEC REC in Adamawa, Hudui Ari had contrary to the laid down procedures for declaring the winner of elections, unilaterally announced the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for the governorship election in Adamawa State, Aisha Dahiru Ahmad Binani as winner of the election without result allocation.
This action of the REC was contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC procedures which empowers the Returning Officer and not the REC to declare results and the winner.
The meeting of the management of INEC also resolved to proceed with the collation of the remaining election results in Adamawa.
Before the illegal declaration by Hudu Ari, results from only 10 out of the 20 Local Government Areas of the state had been announced with an agreement for collation to continue on Sunday by 11:00am.
Based on the collated results from 10 Local Government Areas before the suspended REC declared Binani as winner, the candidate of the PDP, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri was leading in seven out of 10 the LGAs collated and officially announced.
Following the illegal declaration of a winner by Hudu Ari, the national headquarters of INEC summoned him and others to Abuja and slammed an indefinite suspension on him.
The Commission on Tuesday also resolved to continue with the collation of the results of the Adamawa supplementary election which commenced on Tuesday afyternoon.
