By Jude Opara (Abuja) & Yagana Ali, Yola

Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa have staged a demonstration over the gubernatorial election in the state.

The protesters, who marched through the streets of Yola, capital of Adamawa, yesterday, carried placards that read “Adamawa is not for sale” and “INEC the world is watching”, among others.

On Sunday, Hudu Yunusa Ari, the resident electoral commissioner (REC) in the state, declared Aisha Binani Dahiru, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the election, sparking a controversy.

The declaration of election results is the responsibility of the returning officer, and not the resident electoral commissioner.

At the time the REC announced Binani as winner of the poll, results of the supplementary election from 10 LGAs were yet to be collated.

From the results collated on Saturday, Ahmadu Fintiri, Adamawa governor and candidate of the PDP, was in the lead.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has since nullified the declaration and summoned the REC and Mele Lamido, returning officer in the election, to its headquarters in Abuja.

Speaking with reporters during the protest, Felix Kinjamo, deputy director-general of the PDP campaign council in Adamawa, said the electoral commission should conclude the election and announce Fintiri as the winner.

Fintiri’s first term in office expires on May 29.

This coincided with a directive of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that its Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Hudu Yunusa Ari, should stay away from all activities of the electoral umpire and the election in the state.

Ari, who was the REC for the gubernatorial election in Adamawa State, stirred controversy on Sunday morning when he announced the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Dahiru, popularly known as Binani as the winner of the polls, a move that was not within his constitutionally given authority.

Asides from the announcement being a usurpation of the Returning Officer’s duty, Ari doubly-erred in that he announced the results of an election whose collation process had not been concluded, and this caused tension within the state, and stirred great debate across the nation, with observers calling what transpired in Adamawa State, a shame.

In a swift response, INEC declared the announcement of Binani as ‘Winner’ of Adamawa Gov Election ‘Null, Void’, adding that the pronouncement is of no effect.

Consequently, INEC suspended the collation of results of the supplementary election in Adamawa and invited the REC, Returning Officer and all officials involved to report back to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja.

As a follow up to the actions already taken, INEC yesterday issued a communique directing that Barrister Yunusa Ari should stay away from the Commission’s Office in Adamawa State until further notice.

The statement further disclosed that the Commission’s Administrative Secretary in Adamawa has been directed to take full charge of INEC in the state, with immediate effect.

“I hereby convey the Commission’s decision that you (Barr Hudu Yunusa Ari), Resident Electoral Commissioner, Adamawa State should stay away from the Commission’s office in Adamawa State immediately until further notice. The Administrative Secretary has been directed to take full charge of INEC, Adamawa State with immediate effect,” the statement, signed by Secretary to the Commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony read.

PDP Supporters Protest in Adamawa, Demand Announcement of Guber Poll Result

Centre Urges INEC to Sanction Officials Who Violated Electoral Act

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately put in place the appropriate process to sanction erring officials who violated the Electoral Act in the Adamawa supplementary elections.

The Director of CDD, Idayat Hassan, in a statement on the supplementary election in Adamawa condemned the alleged violation of the act and called for prompt conclusion of the election.

Hassan said the action of the staff was capable of undermining law and order in the state.

According to Hassan, CDD has been closely observing the supplementary election conducted on Saturday in Adamawa State.

“CDD observed with utmost concern the unhealthy twist of events involving the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (INEC) who illegally took over the responsibility of the Returning Officer by declaring the result of the governorship election.

“CDD unequivocally condemns this brazen violation of the clear provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

“The Electoral Act, 2022 makes it abundantly clear in Section 25 (2f) that:

“The returning officer shall announce the result and declare the winner of the election at the State Collation Centre in the case of election of a Governor of a State.”

Hassan said that it was an affront on the laid down procedure for the REC to have gone ahead to make the announcement when he was not empowered by the law to do so.

She said that apart from the fact that such a step was patently illegal; the action of the REC was capable of provoking the breakdown of law and order.

This she said, was considering the tensed political atmosphere in the state given the inconclusive governorship poll and the subsequent supplementary poll.

She said CDD similarly called for the process as spelt out in the law to be followed in promptly declaring the winner of the governorship election.

She said that importantly, CDD called on all participants in the process and stakeholders across the state to remain calm and maintain the peace.

“We urge INEC to ensure prompt conclusion of the process in line with provisions of the Electoral Act and other extant guidelines, ’she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC on Sunday suspended the collation of the Adamawa supplementary governorship poll.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa, had earlier declared Sen. Aisha Binani, as the winner of the Adamawa Governorship election.

But INEC National Commissioner, and Chairman Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, in a statement issued Sunday described the action of the REC as a usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer.

The commission described Binani’s declaration as null, void and of no effect.

The commission therefore summoned REC, Returning Officer and all involved to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja immediately.

CSO Urges INEC to Investigate Electoral Guidelines Violators

Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre (PAACA), a Civil Society Organisation has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate reports of alleged violations of the electoral guidelines during the supplementary elections.

Executive Director, PAACA, Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu, in statement on the conduct of the election, also urged INEC to ensure any staff member accused of complicity and conspiracy with political actors to subvert the process are sanctioned.

Nwagwu said that PAACA in collaboration with other accredited observer groups trained and deployed over 122 stationary, independent non-partisan observers across the polling units in Sokoto South Senatorial District, and over 20 roving observers in the other senatorial districts.

He said that these deployments allowed PAACA to provide independent and objective assessments of the conduct of the elections.

He said the observer groups note an improvement in the management of election logistics and election administration for the Sokoto State supplementary election.

He said that what remained a challenge however is the inconsistencies in the application of electoral guidelines as PAACA and partners note voting was done in the open, and the voting cubicle was not installed in some polling units.

“PAACA calls upon all candidates, all parties and all Nigerians to show political maturity and to maintain peace in the post-election period.

“We condemn reports of political party agents subverting the electoral process and attempting to influence voters or INEC officials.

“Party leaders must ensure that they encourage and model credible engagement in the process and urge their supporters to act in accordance with the electoral guidelines and the law. ‘’

Nwagwu  called on the security agents to also investigate and prosecute all security personnel involved in gross misconduct and to arrest and process all those that are involved in electoral fraud.”

He said while the group commended the deployment of security personnel, they were however disturbed about the reports of the ineffectiveness of some security personnel to discharge their duties.

He said that this was especially in locations where vote trading became the order of the day, as vote buying was seen to be done in the open with no attempts by the security operatives to apprehend the perpetrators.

He said that the secrecy of the ballots was not upheld in all the polling units observed, as PAACA observers reported that voting cubicles were either not installed or not set up in 25 polling units.

Nwagwu said this therefore, made it impossible for voters to mark their ballots in secret.

He said that voters were intimidated and harassed during voting in 28 of the polling units observed.

He said that in 24 polling units observed, women either as voters, polling officials, observers or security agents were intimidated and harassed.

Nwagwu called on the winners of the election  to be magnanimous in victory and be responsive representatives of the people regardless of whether they voted for them or not.

According to him, as stakeholders continue to reflect on the overall conduct of the 2023 general elections, the commission needed to audit its performance in the administration of the election.

He said this should be in a manner that would inspire public confidence and encourage participation in future elections.

Supplementary governorship elections were held in Kebbi and Adamawa states where they have earlier been declared inconclusive.

In Adamawa, the elections were held in a total of 69 polling units (PUs) and 142 PUs in Kebbi with 36,935 and 94,209 eligible voters, respectively participating.