Somto BisinaThe Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has rejected the announcement of Aishatu Binani, the governorship candidate of the All-Progressives Congress, as the winner of the supplementary election conducted in Adamawa State on Saturday.
The state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa, had announced Binani as the winner, which was against the laid down procedures guiding Nigeria’s elections. CDD urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to punish officials who conducted the illegal announcement and continue the collation of results.
CDD, in a statement on its official Twitter handle on Sunday, noted that the announcement of the winner should have been made by the Returning Officer. The group condemned the illegal declaration of a winner and called for the adherence to the guidelines and laws set by INEC to avoid a breakdown of law and order.
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CDD emphasized the importance of the laid down processes and urged INEC to sanction all erring officials who were involved in the illegal announcement and ensure that results were publicly available to all citizens.
The recent announcement of a winner in the Adamawa State supplementary election by the Resident Electoral Commissioner is null and void. The Returning Officer is the only official authorized to make such a declaration. Therefore, CDD strongly condemned the illegal announcement and called for the immediate exercise of INEC’s powers to continue the collation process, sanction erring officials, and ensure that results are available to all citizens.
The importance of following laid down procedures and guidelines during elections cannot be overemphasized, especially in a heightened political environment. CDD emphasized that adherence to these laws would prevent a breakdown of law and order and promote peaceful elections.
CDD announced that it would release a statement on the conduct of the elections later today.
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