*Wants Fintiri declared winner without delay
By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, national leadership has demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, for illegally declaring the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Aisha Binani as the Governor-elect of the state, while collation was still on going.
The party also called 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 made the demand at a press conference addressed by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba in Abuja on Sunday.
The party specifically declared the action of the REC as a criminal usurpation of the duties and powers of the Returning Officer, Prof Mohammed Mele, while collation was on-going.
The PDP pointed out that it was 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, Ologunagba maintained, “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”.
The leading opposition party further described the action of the REC, Yunusa Ari as subversive and calculated to cause crisis in Adamawa State, destabilize the nation’s democracy and peaceful co-existence as a nation.
According to Ologunagba, “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calls on the people of Adamawa State, Nigerians and the International Community to disregard the purported declaration of the defeated Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani as winner of the Adamawa State Governorship election.
“The PDP also demands for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, for making such 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.
“Our Party therefore demands that INEC should, without further delay, announce the results as already collated from the Polling Units and declare Governor Fintiri as winner.
“Anything short of this will not be accepted by our Party and the people of Adamawa State”, the PDP National Publicity Secretary said.
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