The premature announcement of the APC candidate, Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru, as the winner of the Adamawa State supplementary governorship election when the collation of results was still ongoing stirred controversy. This announcement was made by Mr Hudu Yunusa Ari, the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner. The action was met with criticism, with the opposition party, PDP, calling for the immediate suspension of the REC. The PDP also claimed that the action was an attempt to rig the election in favour of the APC.
Reacting to the development, the PDP in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Sam Zadock, said that the action of Mr Hudu Yunusa Ari was "unacceptable, illegal and unconstitutional" and called for his immediate suspension. The statement read in part: "We condemn in strong terms the action of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, who took it upon himself to announce the winner of the Adamawa State supplementary governorship election when collation of results was still ongoing. This action is unacceptable, illegal and unconstitutional, and we call for the immediate suspension of the REC."
In its response, INEC noted that Mr Hudu Yunusa Ari's action was a breach of electoral guidelines and protocol, and as such, it constituted a serious offence. The commission stated that it would not tolerate any act that could undermine the integrity of the electoral process in the country. The commission also assured Nigerians that it remained committed to ensuring free, fair and credible elections in the country.
The suspension of Mr Hudu Yunusa Ari has been met with mixed reactions. While some have commended INEC for taking swift action to address the issue, others have criticized the commission for not doing enough to prevent such incidents from occurring in the first place. Some have also called for a more thorough investigation into the matter to ensure that all those involved in any wrongdoing are brought to book.
The letter reads as follows; “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.
“Please, accept the assurances of the Commission’s warm.”
It is noteworthy that the Adamawa State supplementary governorship election was a closely contested one, with the PDP candidate, Ahmadu Fintiri, leading with 367,471 votes, while the APC candidate, Jibrilla Bindow, trailed closely with 334,995 votes. However, the supplementary election was held in 44 polling units across 14 local government areas of the state, after the March 9 governorship election was declared inconclusive.
The suspension of Mr Hudu Yunusa Ari is expected to serve as a warning to other INEC officials to adhere strictly to electoral guidelines and protocols to ensure that the integrity of the electoral process is maintained. It is also expected to reassure Nigerians that the commission is committed to ensuring that only the votes of the people count in any election conducted in the country.
