Adamawa Guber: PDP Insists Gov Finitiri Won, Demands Arrest Of REC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has stated that its governorship candidate in the Adamawa State election, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, won the election and should be declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commissioner.

The party called on the people of the state, Nigerians and the International Community to disregard the purported declaration of the defeated Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani as the winner of the Adamawa State Governorship election.

The State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari, had on Sunday morning declared the APC’s Binani as the winner of the election, an action that elicited protests from members of the PDP present at the state collation centre in Yola.

A statement from INEC headquarters signed by the Commission’s spokesperson, Barr Festus Okoye, has declared the announcement invalid and suspended further collation of the results. The electoral body also summoned the REC to the Commission’s headquarters.

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The PDP in a statement on Sunday afternoon, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, described Ari’s action as a “criminal conduct” and urged the Inspector General of Police to immediately arrest him to face the full wrath of the law.

The statement reads: “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 the 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 the 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.

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“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 a 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 the winner, having scored the majority of lawful votes cast. From the results already collated across the 69 Polling Units where the supplementary elections were 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 the winner. Anything short of this will not be accepted by our Party and the people of Adamawa State.”