- Yunusa Ari
//ONYEKA-AJUMOBI ONOCHIE/SHARE THIS
Twenty four hours after he wrongly announced and declared a winner of the Saturday supplementary governorship election in Adamawa State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has suspended the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari, asking him to stay away from office till further notice.
This was contained in a circular to the embattled REC signed by Mrs. Rose Oriaran-Anthony, Secretary to the Commission (INEC) on Monday, April 17, 2023.
The statement titled ‘Commission’s Directive to stay away from INEC, Adamawa State’ reads; “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 circular said.
Recall that Ari, on Sunday morning controversially declared Senator Aisha Dahiru, aka Binani, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the Saturday’s supplementary election in the state election, amidst massive protest by all observers, especially members of PDP.
–Binani: Yunusa’s nemesis
The State Online yesterday reports it has obtained a video showing harrowing experience of the Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC, Hudu Yunusa Ari, in which he was bloodily battered and stripped naked by angry PDP members who watched as he wrongly announced Aisha Dahiru, aka Binani, winner in the Saturday supplementary election.
–Ahmadu Fintiri of PDP: smiling to victory
The platform further reported that the electoral commission had since denounced the purported declaration of Binani as the winner of that election as announced by Yunusa.
INEC also said it suspended the collation of results of the supplementary election and consequently summoned the REC to Abuja.
The commission said what the REC did amounts to usurpation of the powers of the Returning Officer, as it did not conclude the process of the election.
The commission’s announcement came via a post on its verified Twitter handle on Sunday.
Recall that the supplementary election was held on Saturday in the state, in which Binani stood in for the APC and the incumbent Gov Ahmadu Fintiri for the PDP, among others.
At about 9am on Sunday morning, the INEC REC announced Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the election.
His announcement elicited massive protests from members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) present at the state collation centre in Yola.
Before the collation exercise was suspended on Saturday night, only results from 10 LGAs had been announced — and Binani was trailing Ahmadu Fintiri, the incumbent governor and PDP candidate far behind with up to 30,000 votes.
The collation of results from the remaining 10 LGAs was expected to commence by 11am on Sunday.
Mele Lamido, the Returning Officer for the Adamawa governorship election, was not present when Yunusa-Ari announced Binani as the winner of the election.
Meanwhile, only Lamido is empowered by law to declare the winner of the election, which Yunusa-Ari usurped, leading to him being severely battered.
The video of Yunusa-Ari being battered showed him bleeding profusedly as he wept like a baby. He was beheld being pulled by his manhood as he was naked by the angry and offended PDP members.
Following this, Yiaga Africa, a civil society organisation, has described the declaration as illegal, saying it is against the guidelines of the Electoral Act.
“We’ve received reports of an illegal declaration of results by the @inecnigeria REC for #Adamawa in violation of S 64 & 65 Electoral Act 2022 & Part 3, INEC guidelines which vests the power to declare results solely on a Returning Officer appointed by INEC,” Yiaga Africa said.
“We call on @inecnigeria to nullify the illegal declaration, suspend the REC for Adamawa State and take urgent actions to protect the integrity of the process,” Yiaga Africa advised.
The INEC HQ, Abuja, may have responded to Yiaga Africa’s request to do the needful by suspending the REC, Yunusa Ari, leaving him with multiple jeopardy of being brutally battered, stripped naked and now an order to stay far away from INEC office till further notice./SHARE THIS
- Tags: Yunusa-Ari, Binani, Ahmadu Fintiri, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, INEC
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