The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday called on the people of Adamawa State, Nigerians and the International Community to disregard the purported declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC), candidate, Aisha Binani as winner of the Adamawa State Governorship election.
Debo Ologunabga, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, in a statement on Sunday, called on security agencies to immediately arrest the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Yunusa Ari.
According to him “PDP also demands for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), 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,” the party said.
The party also described Yunusa Ari’s action as “subversive and calculated to cause crisis in Adamawa State, destabilise 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 statement came on the heels of earlier pronouncement by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at its Headquarters in Abuja, annulling the action of Yunusa Ari
Fesus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, in statement, described the Adamawa REC’s action as “null, void and of no effect.”
He declared that the collation which is ongoing has been suspended and directed the REC and other officials involved in action to proceed to the National Headquarters.
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.”
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