Following the confusion created by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr Hudu Ari in declaring Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmad Binani as Governor-elect of Adamawa State, the national headquarters of the electoral body has voided the declaration, stressing that it is null and void.
The Commission in a swift reaction following the announcement by the REC in Adamawa declaring Senator Binani as the winner of the Governorship re-run election ahead of the conclusion of the collation of results said that the process was totally at variance with laid down procedures and processes.
A statement by Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner-in-Charge of Information & Voter Education, said that the process had clearly not been concluded.
The Commission noted that the action of the REC, Mr Hudu Ari was a usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer, stressing that it was therefore null, void and of no effect.
Consequently, INEC resolved that the collation of results of the supplementary election has been suspended.
Accordingly, INEC headquarters directed the REC, Returning Officer and all involved to report to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja immediately.
Yunusa Hudu Ari, in the early hours of Sunday, sneaked into Adamawa State Governorship collation and declared Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed of the All Progressives Congress winner of the state governorship polls.
Binani, according to official results released by the INEC prior to her declaration, was trailing behind Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, who had established a margin of lead of 31,249 votes.
But Fintiri despite polling 421, 524 votes to defeat Binani who polled 390, 275 votes could not be returned by the state returning officer, Professor Mohammed Mele, a Professor of English and Linguistics from the University of Maiduguri, because the margin of lead did not exceed the number of cancelled votes in 69 polling units with total number Permanent Voters Card collected of 37,016.
However, at the resumption of the collation of results from the supplementary polls, which was held across the state on Saturday, to conclude the Adamawa governorship election exercise, a mild drama ensued as the Adamawa REC, who had abruptly suspended the collation exercise until 11 am on Sunday sneaked into the collation centre at 9:00 am to declare Binani winner.
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