Controversial Adamawa poll: Tinubu demands investigation
….Our intervention is needless – FG
…Insists 2023 general elections best ever
…Says ‘election matters’ INEC’s duty to handle
By Moses Adeniyi
Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had called for intervention of the Presidency, the appointing authority for Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC), over the misconduct of the REC in Adamawa, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, who against order made an odd declaration of a winner prior to the conclusion of collation results, causing political tension, and the demand by President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for full investigation into the drama that transpired over the Adamawa gubernatorial polls, the Federal Government on its part, on Wednesday, gave reasons why it would not intervene in the matter.
The Federal Government held that President Muhammadu Buhari did not intervene in the drama because the matter was within the purview of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood to address.
Recall that after much controversies generated by the odd action of the Adamawa REC who was later suspended indefinitely, INEC on Tuesday disclosed it had asked the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, to draw the attention of “the appointing authority” in person of the President to the behaviour of the State REC, Hudu.
Following a meeting of its management comprising National Commissioners and the INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu, in Abuja on Tuesday, over Hudu’s conduct, the Commission requested the SGF to call the attention of “the appointing authority” to the odd act of the REC for further action.
Under the constitution, the appointing authority refers to the President who is empowered to appoint INEC Commissioners as provided by section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution.
The section provides that: “Except in the case of ex officio members or where other provisions are made in this Constitution, the chairman and members of any of the bodies so established shall, subject to the provisions of this Constitution, be appointed by the President and the appointment shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate.”
To remove a REC, the President can only act on an address by a two-thirds majority of the Senate in accordance with section 6(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
Disclosing the decisions reached at the meeting on its official Twitter handle, INEC had said, “At its meeting today (Tuesday), April 18, 2023, the Commission discussed matters arising from the Adamawa governorship election and decided to:
“Write to the Inspector-General of Police for the immediate investigation and possible prosecution of the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Adamawa State, Barrister Hudu Yunusa-Ari.
“Request the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to draw the attention of the appointing authority to the unwholesome behaviour of the REC for further action.
“The collation process shall resume at a time to be determined by the returning officer.”
However, speaking on Wednesday while fielding questions from State House correspondents at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the Federal Government has steered clear because the INEC Chairman was saddled with the responsibility of handling election matters, particularly as it relates to its official.
On disciplinary action against Hudu, he said the INEC Chairman is in charge of all employees of the Commission and therefore should be handling the case.
“I don’t think this government has ever intervened in the way the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts elections.
“So there was no need for us to intervene. It was entirely an INEC and INEC handled it.
“The Chairman of INEC is in charge of all employees of INEC and he is handling it, so what do you want the government to do?” he said.
Reminded that INEC had written a petition to the SGF to bring to the notice of the President, the odd actions of the Adamawa REC, he maintained that the INEC Chairman is capable of handling the matter.
Appraising the recently concluded General Elections, the Minister said that the the polls were the most transparent and rancour-free in recent times in the Country.
He attributed the development to the introduction of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) and the unbiased posture of President Buhari, who he said never used presidency power to skew the election in favour of any candidate or his party.
Speaking on the premise of his trip to the US in defense of the elections, and why he accused the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi of treason, he said the fact Obi did not rebuke his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, for saying that if the President-elect, Tinubu, is sworn-in on May 29, it would be the end of democracy in the Country, meant they were both on the same page.
“I went to the US to balance the skewed report about the just-concluded elections.
“And everywhere I went, I said it very unambiguously that the last general elections in Nigeria are the most transparent, the freest and was authentic.
“And that’s despite the efforts of the opposition to delegitimise or discredit the elections. And I forwarded my position there as to why these elections were the best.
“One, that deployment of technology, especially BVAS, made it pretty difficult for anybody to do the usual things before which were overvoting, stuffing ballots and the like, because once it takes your biometrics you can’t go twice.
“Secondly, I said because the President also showed that he promised that he will provide a level-playing ground, which he did.
“In the first instance, Mr President did not confer any advantage on his ruling party.
“And that is why as far he was concerned, he would rather lose the election than win at all costs and the results showed it.
“The President lost the presidential election in his State in Katsina. It has never happened in Nigeria, for a sitting President to lose the election in his own State.
“And I went further to say that the President also prevented anybody from misusing security to rig elections. Of course, the last election is largely the least violent in the history of Nigeria.
“What I said about Mr. Peter Obi is very clear. I said, Mr. Peter has every right to seek redress in court like Labour Party, but nobody has the right to call for insurrection, or to threaten to say that if the President-elect is sworn in, that would be the end of democracy.
“That was precisely what the running mate of Mr. Peter Obi said on television. And I have not heard Peter Obi reign him in or correcting him.
“So if your running mate says something, of course, he was saying it on behalf of the party and the candidate.
“That’s why I said that it was treason for anybody to say that if a duly elected President in Nigeria is sworn in, that would be the end of democracy. So, I don’t see anything controversial in that,” the Minister said.
….Tinubu demands full police investigation
Meanwhile, though the Federal Government gave reasons it won’t intervene in the controversies of the Adamawa governorship election, President-elect, Tinubu, has demanded that Police authorities embark on full investigation of all that transpired in the Adamawa governorship supplementary election.
In a statement on Wednesday in Abuja while congratulating winners of the supplementary governorship elections in Kebbi and Adamawa which held on Saturday, Tinubu also rejoiced with those elected into the Senate, House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly during the last round of elections in States where the election took place.
He said the victorious men and women had earned the trust of their people, adding that they should rededicate themselves to the service of their respective constituents.
He called on those aggrieved to pursue legitimate means of addressing their grievances.
“I observed, with satisfaction, the largely peaceful atmosphere that pervaded the supplementary election on Saturday.
“The election is a further testimony that citizens have accepted democratic norms and have unalloyed faith in the electoral process.
“However, I note the matter of Adamawa Supplementary Governorship Election and I urge police authorities to fully investigate all that transpired in the election, given the attendant controversy.
“In every democratic contest there has to be one winner. I call on those aggrieved to pursue legitimate means of addressing their grievances,” Tinubu said.
He welcomed those who had been elected to brace up to serve the people with diligence and dedication, and to join hands with him as President-elect to build the country.
He said this was critical in the pursuit of the renew hope agenda of a better, stronger, more secure, economically vibrant and prosperous Nigeria
Recall after a contest compassed by political hurdles, the INEC finally on Tuesday declared Ahmadu Fintiri, as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship election.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Muhammed Mele, declared incumbent Fintiri who ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the election, having polled 430,861 votes to defeat his major opponent, Aisha Binani, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) who polled 398,788.
The election had been vehemently contested between the duo, with some dramatic development that generated controversies, particularly climaxing with the odd declaration of Binani by the INEC REC in Adamawa, Hudu, who on Sunday morning heated the polity by announcing Binani winner while the process was still clearly not concluded.
After a period of suspense with several calls for the declaration of the authentic winner, INEC on Tuesday reopened the collation centre for the supplementary election results which held in the State last Saturday, April 15, a follow up of the polls of March 18 governorship election in the State which was declared inconclusive by INEC, on the grounds of certain irregularities.
Meanwhile, the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, declined on Tuesday from hearing an ex-parte motion filed by Binani on the election.
The court temporarily declined to hear the motion over issue bordering on jurisdiction and consequently adjourned the matter until April 26 for hearing of the motion and an address on jurisdiction.
Recall that Hudu, in the early hours of Sunday, sneaked into the State Governorship Collation Centre to declare Binani of the APC as winner of the governorship poll, a development that set the political space in the heat of controversy.
INEC worried by the dent the act is capable of rubbing on its image, suspended Hudu indefinitely from office, following his odd declaration, ordering him to stay away from the office of the Commission in Yola.
The Commission had following the odd declaration, in a tweet on its official Twitter handle on Sunday told Nigerians to disregard the action of the Adamawa REC, who it accused of usurping the powers of the Returning Officer, Professor Mele, and proceeded in announcing the results of the polls that had yet to be tallied and concluded.
