From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja, Billy Graham Abel, Yola, Noah Ebije, Kaduna and Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja 

There was palpable tension  in Adamawa State, yesterday, following the  declaration of All Progressives Party (APC) candidate, Aishatu Dahiru Binani as winner of the gubernatorial election by the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Ari Yunusa-Ari.

Yunusa, against established processes and laws governing the declaration of winners for an election, had appeared at about 9.am in company of some security officials, and without records of collated data of votes, announced Binani winner of the poll. This happened  even when the resumption of collation of results for the re-run poll scheduled for 11 am  had yet to start.

The Adamawa State governorship election which held on March 18, like others, had been declared inconclusive and a re-run fixed for Saturday.  Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who is candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP, was leading in the poll with 421,524 votes.

 While APC’s faithful and supporters of Binani celebrated yesterday’s announcement by the REC, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and supporters of Governor Fintiri, who was again leading Binani during the collation of votes in the re-run poll before its suspension late Saturday, protested Yunusa-Ari’s action given he is not the returning officer, as provided by the Electoral Act.

A mob also attacked officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for supporting the aberration. 

The commission, was however quick to describe as null and void the purported announcement of  Binani as winner. It also suspended further action on the election. The commission  said it would meet tomorrow to deliberate on the controversy surrounding the poll.

Speaking to Daily Sun, on when the collation would likely resume, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, disclosed that the earliest time the commission could meet over the unfortunate incident would be tomorrow.  

He said the Adamawa REC, Yunusa-Ari, who is behind the controversy, was already in Abuja.

“As I speak with you, majority of the National Commissioners are away on national assignment. We have been summoned to return to Abuja on Monday. So, the earliest we can meet to deliberate over the Adamawa governorship election will be on Tuesday. I can also confirm to you that Adamawa REC is already in Abuja, as directed, for the meeting.”

INEC  in a statement by Okoye in Abuja had ordered Yunusa-Ari, the Returning Officer and other stakeholders in the election to proceed to the headquarters of the commission immediately. 

It also condemned the harassment of two of its National Commissioners deployed to Adamawa for the governorship supplementary election.

The commission described as null and void, the purported announcement of the candidate of APC, Aishatu Dahiru Binani, winner of the poll, suspending further action on the election.

It wondered how the REC could usurp the responsibility of the Returning Officer by announcing Binani winner even when the process had not been logically concluded.

It pleaded with security agencies to ensure that nothing untoward befell its National Commissioners, warning tht it would not condone any act of lawlessness or brigandage targeted at its officials or the process.

“The commission is deeply disturbed by the harassment of our two National Commissioners deployed to the State to ensure a peaceful and credible supplementary election. We urge the security agencies to provide them with necessary security and ensure that nothing untoward befalls them. The two National Commissioners, the Returning Officer and other staff of the commission must be allowed to perform their duties without let or hinderance. The commission will not condone any act of lawlessness or brigandage targetted at our officials or the process.”

On the decision to suspend the governorship election, the commission said: “The attention of INEC has been drawn to the purported declaration of winner in the Adamawa State governorship election by the REC, Mr. Hudu Yunusa-Ari. The action of the REC is a usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer and therefore null, void and of no effect. Consequently, the collation of the result of the supplementary election held on 15th April, 2023 is suspended forthwith. The REC for Adamawa State and all other officials involved in the process are hereby directed to report immediately to INEC headquarters in Abuja.”

Meanwhile, presidential candidate of PDP,  Atiku Abubakar has described the initial decision of the REC to declare the APC candidate, Aisha Binani, as the winner of the election, as a case study to the shambolic nature of the 2023 elections in general.

The former vice president in a statement by his spokesman Paul Ibe said: “Here 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. Recall that this was the same Resident Electoral Commissioner who pressured the Returning Officer to manipulate the results of the contentious Fufore Local Government Area in the March 18 governorship election.The people of Adamawa shall not allow this injustice to pass without being challenged. We demand the immediate resumption of the collation of results and its finalisation today. 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.”

•PDP demands arrest of REC

The PDP has called for the arrest of the Adamawa  REC, Yunusa-Ari, for declaring APC candidate, Binani, as winner of the Adamawa gubernatorial election.

The party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, yesterday, said the REC  usurped the function of the Returning Officer in the governorship contest by purportedly declaring the APC candidate as winner of the poll.

The PDP, while declaring the REC’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. It said there were evidence that Fintiri scored majority of lawful votes in the contest.

“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. 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 party said

•Fintiri appeals for calm

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has asked citizens of Adamawa to remain calm and peaceful over the controversial declaration of Binani as winner of the gubernatorial election.

Fintiri called on the general public to disregard the announcement as fictitious and figment of the imagination of the REC as INEC has already distanced it self from the declaration.

The governor said, something must be wrong with the REC  to have acted in such manner because he has no constitutional powers to declare results.

He described what took place as “ illegal announcement by merchants of anarchy headed by the Resident Electoral Commissioner – Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, who since the beginning of this election is bent on pushing our collective patience to its limit.” 

He claimed he was coasting home to victory and alleged the same gang behind the hasty announcement also aided the confusion that rendered the election inconclusive. 

“The appropriate officers commenced the process of the collation. The first round of the collation went well with 11 LGAs collated, before the process was adjourned to continue today 16th April at 11.00 a.m.  Just when we were waiting for the resumption of the collation, the REC this morning took up a task, he is not constitutionally empowered to do by making an illegal announcement of the outcome of the election without result. This action is no doubt provocative, but in this situation, I appeal for calm as always. I assure you that as your leader, I will ensure nobody thwarts your democratic rights.”

 •APC congratulates Binani

Reacting to the declaration, APC leadership in Adamawa at a press briefing in Yola said the declaration of its candidate, Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, also popularly called Binani did not come as a surprise because of her political trajectory and record of achievements.

“This is a victory for All Progressives Congress (APC) and the good people of Adamawa State. In view of the above, the APC State EXCO is hereby congratulating Her Excellency, all party members from ward, Local Governments, state and national levels respectively, the Binani Campaign organization, the Adamawa Business community and the general public.”

The party in the state commended INEC for conducting a free, fair and peaceful election in Adamawa State.

However, after INEC nullified  the announcement, all attempts to elicit a response from APC leaders, including its acting state chairman, Taddawus Samaila, proves abortive.

Speaking to Daily Sun, a former Commissioner for Information and PDP chieftain ,John Ngamsa said: “This is the most laughable drama I have ever seen in our democratic journey in Nigeria. This an attack on our collective consciousness as a people, it is an insult on every Nigerian, a blight on our democracy and a step backward in our democratic journey. There is no where in the world where the REC comes around and boycott the collation process with results of ten local governments still expected and declare the candidate trailing behind as the winner.”

A resident, Sonia Manabete said: “This action is disturbing because we cannot understand what is happening now in our state. I am a woman so I don’t mind if a woman wins, but let it be fair and just. As a woman I feel embarrassed that the REC will skip all protocols and announce results while collation is still ongoing. I believe elections has not been announced yet, so we are still waiting foe the rightful winner, male or female.”

Tijjani Bello, a resident of Yola said, “I was excited when I heard the announcement that Binani has been declared a winner but when I later learnt that INEC has debunked the declaration,

I was shocked. All I know is that power comes from God there is no point trying to get it by force. INEC has promised us free and fair elections but this is not what we expected. Let them put their house in order and conclude this elections. Right now its looking like a child’s play, This is the second time they are announcing her as winner, INEC should respect itself anf respect the good people of Adamawa, the voice of the people must be respected, Fintiri or Binani.”

.Declaration  amounts to civilian Coup- Shehu Sani

Former Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani has said  announcing the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Aisha Binnani as the winner of Adamawa State election  by the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) as against the Returning Officer while the election process is still on is equivalent of civilian coup. 

Sani, however, commended INEC for taking the bold step to suspend the collation of the State supplementary governorship poll.

Senator Shehu Sani who disclosed  this in a reaction to  what he termed  ‘Illegal declaration” by Adamawa  Resident Electoral Commissioner in a statement  in Kaduna on Sunday commended Prof.  Mahmud Yakubu and the INEC for prompt intervention.

“It was obvious that the REC was out to truncate democracy in the state and by extension Nigeria if his action was  allowed unchecked. The declaration by Adamawa REC is an equivalent of a civilian coup. The action of the REC stands condemnable. Our democracy can’t survive if we condone such brazen act of criminality and brigandage. The REC and the security men, who perpetrated the acts must be prosecuted.

“Our political culture and attitude to election needs chemotherapy, The dangerous trend in our electoral system has gone beyond the culture of violence, vote buying and falsification of results to the most obnoxiously and brazenly crude phase of taking over the collation center,seizing the Mic and illegally declaring the results of an election.”