THIS DAY
Ripples of the supplementary governorship election in Adamawa State yesterday as President Muhammadu Buhari approved the immediate suspension of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa Ari, pending the completion of investigation by the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, on the conduct/actions of the embattled REC during the supplementary election in Adamawa State held on Saturday.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, disclosed this in a statement.
This was just as human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, yesterday said the police inquest into the governorship supplementary debacle in Adamawa state should be extended to the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru.In a related development, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday denied allegations of partisanship in the recently conducted Adamawa Supplementary Elections.
In a rather depressing point of electoral rascality widely seen as more disappointing than any situation in the past, Ari, INEC’s REC for Adamawa State, had in the early hours of last Sunday, declared Binani as winner of the state governorship election, when collation had not been concluded.But INEC reversed the purported declaration few hours later.The Commission had said the action of the REC was a move to usurp the power of the Returning Officer and had declared the declaration null, void and of no effect.
Ahmadu Finitiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was later declared the winner of the election.Binani also dismissed reports that she had offered the sum of N2 billion as bribe to an official to be declared winner of the election.Afterwards, INEC had written to the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Baba Alkali to investigate Ari for possible prosecution and Alkali on his part had ordered for the replacement of the Commissioner of Police on election duty in Adamawa State, Mohammed Barde.
However, the statement announcing the suspension of Ari, was signed by the Director, Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of Federation, Willie Bassey…
