From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) has called for arrest of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner ( REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, for reportedly declaring the All Progressives Congress ( APC) candidate, Aisha Binani, as winner of the Adamawa gubernatorial election.
PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, on Sunday, said Ari usurped the function of the Returning Officer in the governorship contest by purportedly declaring the APC candidate as winner of the poll.
The Adamawa REC had, on Sunday, reportedly declared the APC candidate as winner of the gubernatorial contest in the state. However, INEC National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, in a statement said the declaration was null and void.
Nevertheless, the PDP, while declaring Ari’s action as subversive, called the electoral body to immediately complete the collation of the election results and declare its candidate, Ahmadu Fintiri, as winner of the poll, as there are evidence that he scored majority of lawful votes in the contest.
‘The PDP calls on the people of Adamawa State, Nigerians and the International Community to disregard the purported declaration of the defeated Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aishatu Binani as winner of the Adamawa State Governorship election.
“The PDP also demands for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, for making such illegal declaration in criminal usurpation of the duties and powers of the Returning Officer, Prof Mohammed Mele, while collation was on-going.
“It is even more absurd that the Adamawa State REC did not only usurp the powers of the Returning Officer but attempted to declare a winner without figures in reckless violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC Guidelines as well as the sensibility of the people of Adamawa State.
“This reprehensible criminal conduct of the Adamawa State REC confirms the earlier alarms by the PDP which demanded for his immediate removal from Adamawa State following evidence of his complicity and being compromised by the APC and its candidate to manipulate the election in their favour notwithstanding the votes by the people of Adamawa State.
“Mallam Yunusa Ari’s action is subversive and calculated to cause crisis in Adamawa State, destabilize our democracy and peaceful co-existence as a nation. We call on the Inspector General of Police to immediately arrest Mallam Yunusa Ari and make him face the full wrath of the law for his conduct.
“The PDP notes the pronouncement by INEC Headquarters that the action of Mallam Yunusa Ari is ‘null, void and of no effect’. The PDP therefore demands that INEC Headquarters should immediately direct the Returning Officer to conclude collation, announce the results from the Polling Units and declare our candidate, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri as winner, having scored the majority of lawful votes cast.
“From the results already collated across the 69 Polling Units where the supplementary elections held and which are on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, Governor Fintiri clearly won the election,”the opposition party stated.