By Jude Opara, Johnson Eyiangho (Abuja) & Yagana Ali, Yola

There is confusion within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the Commission denounced the purported declaration of Senator Aisha Dahiru, popularly known as Binani, as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship election.

The controversial declaration was made by the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa, Barrister Hudu Yunusa.

INEC, last month declared the Adamawa State governorship election inconclusive and ordered a rerun on April 15.

Although final results tallied by INEC showed that Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored the highest votes, INEC said the cancelled votes were more than the margin of victory between Fintiri and the runner-up, Aisha Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

As at the time of the rerun, official results showed Mr Fintiri leading Mrs Dahiru, popularly called Binani, with a margin of over 30,000 votes.

The incumbent governor scored 421,524 votes while Mrs Dahiru won 390,275 votes.

But in a swift reaction after the declaration of Aisha as the winner of the election yesterday, INEC, in a statement signed by its National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education (IVEC), Barrister Festus Okoye announced the suspension of the collation of results of the supplementary election.

The statement said the action of the REC amounts to usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer, insisting it is null, void and of no effect whatsoever.

It said that the process had not been concluded before the declaration of the result of the supplementary election held Saturday.

Subsequently, INEC has directed the REC and the Returning Officer to report to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja with immediate 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), Mr. Hudu Yunusa-Ari.

“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,” the statement read.

It could be recalled that INEC had promised to deliver an exercise that would be seen to be free, fair and credible in the supplementary elections across the country.

Earlier, the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Barrister Hudu Inusa Ari had declared Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed winner of the State governorship rerun election while collation of results were still ongoing.

The declaration was also made in the absence of all officials and many party agents and the state Returning Officer.

Hudu, while announcing Binani as the winner, said he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the only person to remove him, hence he has the power to declare the winner.

“I am appointed by Mr President and is only the president that will stop me from doing my work as REC in Adamawa,” Hudu said.

According to him when they started collation of the result some of his colleagues from INEC headquarters asked him to step aside, they are now in charge of the collation and hastily moved out to Abuja.

PDP Insists Fintiri Wins, Urges Nigerians to Disregard Result

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to announce the results already collated from the Polling Units in the Adamawa Governorship election and declare its candidate, Governor Fintiri as winner.

PDP warned that “anything short of this will not be accepted by our party and the people of Adamawa State”.

Speaking at a news conference yesterday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, called on the people of Adamawa State, Nigerians and the International Community to disregard the purported declaration of the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani as winner of the state Governorship election.

Ologunagba also demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, for making “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,” Ologunagba added.

APC’s Idris Wins Kebbi Governorship Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday declared Dr Nasiru Idris of All Progressives Congress (APC) as Governor-elect of Kebbi.

INEC had declared the March 18 governorship election in the state inconclusive.

A rerun election was held on Saturday in 142 polling units spread across 20 of the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.

The final result was announced at the INEC headquarters in Birnin Kebbi by the Returning Officer,  Prof.  Yusuf Sa’idu of Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto.

He said Idris polled 409,225 votes to defeat his closest contestant, retired Maj.-Gen. Aminu Bande of PDP who scored 360,940 votes, while Alhaji Udu Idris of People’s Redemption Party, scored 3,103 votes.

The returning officer explained that the total votes cast stood at 800,560, out of which valid votes were 781,478, while 19,082 votes were rejected.

“I, Prof. Yusuf Sa’idu, the Returning Officer of the governorship election held on April 15, 2023, declare that Nasiru Idris of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes, is hereby returned elected as Governor of Kebbi,” he added. (NAN)