Adamawa Guber Poll: Confusion as REC declares APC woman candidate winner
…Disregard his declaration — INEC
…Says he usurped power, action null, void, of no effect
…Suspends collation
…Game plan ploy by INEC to upturn democratic wishes – Atiku
Confusion set into Nigeria’s political space over a drama played by the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Yunusa Hudu Ari, in the early hours of Sunday, sneaking into the state governorship collation centre to declare candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, winner of the governorship poll.
According to the official results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Binani prior to her declaration was trailing behind Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, who had established a margin lead of 31,249 votes.
However, Fintiri despite polling 421,524 votes to defeat Binani who polled 390,275 votes could not be returned by the State returning officer, Professor Mohammed Mele, a Professor of English and Linguistics from the University of Maiduguri, on the grounds of insufficiency of the margin which did not exceed the number of cancelled votes in 69 polling units with total number of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected of 37,016.
However, at the resumption of the collation of results from the supplementary polls, which was held across the State on Saturday, to conclude the Adamawa governorship election exercise.
Confusion set in on Sunday morning as the Adamawa REC, who had abruptly suspended the collation exercise until 11am on Sunday, appeared at the collation centre around 9:00am to declare Binani the winner.
Fintiri in the results declared prior to the odd declaration was in the lead from the results of 10 councils so far declared in the supplementary polls.
Results from the 10 councils had showed Fintiri adding to his lead of 31,249 emerging winner in Demsa, Lamurde, Jada, Ganye, Song, Maiha, Hong and Shelleng councils, while Binani won only in Yola North and Yola South out of 10 council areas so far released.
…Disregard his declaration – INEC
Meanwhile, INEC in a tweet on its official Twitter handle told Nigerians to disregard the action of the Adamawa REC, who it accused of usurping the powers of the Returning Officer, Professor Mohammed Mele, and proceeded in announcing the results of the polls that had yet to be tallied and concluded.
INEC consequently invited Yunusa over the declaration.
The Commission on Sunday via its Twitter handle noted that the process has clearly not been concluded before he made the announcement, declaring his action, “null, void and of no effect.”
“The attention of the Commission has been drawn to a purported declaration of winner in the Adamawa Governorship election by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) even when the process has clearly not been concluded.
“The action of the REC is a usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer. It is null, void and of no effect. Consequently, the collation of results of the supplementary election is hereby suspended.
“The REC, Returning Officer and all involved are hereby invited to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja immediately. Detailed statement to follow shortly.”
…Game plan ploy by INEC to up-turn democratic wishes — Atiku
Meanwhile in reaction, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the general elections, Atiku Abubakar, described the action as a ploy by INEC “to compromise the electoral wishes of the people of Adamawa State,” with “a preset agenda of declaring the APC at all cost.”
Atiku said that the Adamawa people won’t avail themselves to be “cheated three times in a row.”
In a statement by Paul Ibe, media aide to the PDP presidential flagbearer, Atiku called on Nigerians to the “game plan of trying to upturn the democratic wishes of the people of Adamawa State in the governorship election in the state.”
Atiku said the initial decision of the REC in Adamawa State to declare the APC candidate, Binani, as the winner of the election, is a case study “to the shambolic nature of the 2023 elections in general.”
“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.
“It is, therefore, on this note that we wish to call the attention of the world to the scheme being perpetrated by INEC to compromise the electoral wishes of the people of Adamawa State.
“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 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.
“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,” he said.
