By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
Ahead of the April 15 scheduled supplementary elections in Adamawa State among others, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has called on the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Adamawa State Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari to recuse himself from superintending and/or conducting the re-run governorship election in the State.
Should the REC refused to recuse himself, the PDP demanded that the INEC Prof, Prof Mahmood Yakubu should immediately remove him.
The party said these at a press conference addressed by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba on Tuesday in Abuja.
The PDP pointed out that the call became necessary in view of grave allegations and evidence of the audio tape already in the public domain against him.
The PDP pointed out that the continued stay in office of Mallam Ari as Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner amounts to pushing the people to the wall and daring them to do their worst.
The party stressed that it is provocative and unacceptable that INEC retained Mallam Ari to conduct the April 15, 2023 governorship re-run election despite being reportedly caught on tape directing the Electoral Officer of Fufore Local Government Area of Adamawa State in Hausa Language to alter election results in favour of the defeated governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Aisha Binani.
According to the PDP, “The continued stay in office of Mallam Yunusa Ari in the face of widespread outcry by the people of Adamawa State amounts to pushing the people to the wall and daring them to do their worst.
“The PDP dismisses the lame denial of the leaked audio tape by the exposed INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner. “The basis for recusal by an umpire is the accusation of likelihood of bias.
“In this case, apart from the accusation, there is audio evidence against Mallam Yunusa Ari and he cannot by any standard superintend over the Adamawa Governorship re-run election without widespread suspicion of his actions.
“The situation around the embattled INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner is worsened by allegations of similar instructions to Electoral Officers in some other Local Government Areas of the State to manipulate the results of the election.
“In view of these grave allegations and evidence of the audio tape already in the public domain, Mallam Yunusa Ari should immediately recuse himself from superintending and/or conducting the re-run governorship election in Adamawa State on April 15, 2023”, the party said.
The PDP invited Nigerians to note that INEC relieved the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Sokoto State, Dr. Nura Ali over allegations of irregularities in the conduct of the just concluded elections in that State.
It added, “There is therefore no justification for the continuing stay of Mallam Yunusa Ari as Resident Electoral Commissioner in Adamawa State in the face of these grave allegations except for sinister reasons.
“Nigerians can recall that the Adamawa State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner was also accused of being at the center of the failed attempt to move the collation of results of the Adamawa State Governorship election from Yola to Abuja to enable the INEC Returning Officer declare the defeated APC candidate as the winner; a move that was firmly resisted by the people of Adamawa State.
“The PDP cautions that the people of Adamawa State will never surrender their mandate to these reprehensible plots to manipulate the outcome of the re-run governorship election in the State.
“The continued stay of Mallam Yunusa Ari as INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Adamawa State is heightening tension and is capable of disrupting the peace for which the State is known.
“Mallam Yunusa Ari has clearly become partisan; he has descended into the arena by allegedly taking sides with the APC, a political party in the contest to the extent of directing Electoral Officers to manipulate election results in favour of the APC candidate.
“The PDP therefore demands that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu immediately remove Mallam Yunusa Ari as Resident Electoral Commissioner in Adamawa State”, Ologunagba said.
