INEC HQ nullifies declaration tagged usurpation of role
Tension heightened in Adamawa State Sunday morning after the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Hudu Yunusa made a premature declaration of a winner of the supplementary governorship election that took place on Saturday.
Hudu Yunusa named the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani as winner of the election about 9.30am Sunday, despite results of the supplementary election from 10 local government areas still being expected, and after results from the first 10 had been collated in the early hours of Sunday.
Questions are still being asked as to the authority of the REC to declare results when he is not the chief collation officer.
This would be the second time in the governorship election in the state when Yunusa would be involved in a controversy.
Yunusa had during the main election of March 18 been linked to an unverified leaked audio in which someone allegedly instructed one of his surbordinates to manipulate results for Binani, following which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demanded his removal from office.
Following the controversy, Yunusa was not fully involved in the collation centre activities Saturday evening through Sunday morning when results were collated from the 10 LGAs that first arrived.
As in the main election, PDP’s Ahmadu Fintiri is in the lead in results of the supplementry election declared so far.
Collation officers were still being expected at the INEC State Collation Centre in Yola as this report was being concluded just before noon Sunday.
The collation officer had earlier fixed 11 am to resume collation of results from the remaining 10 LGAs.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has waded into the drama playing out in the State supplementary governorship election, saying the action of the State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Ari Hudu, declaring the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the election when the process had not been concluded, was an usurpation of powers of the Returning Officer.
The Commission also said Hudu’s action was null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
In a post via its verified Twitter handle on Sunday, INEC, in a statement signed by Barr. Festus Okoye, the National Commissioner, Information & Voter Education, also suspended further collation of results as all critical officials involved are to report at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja immediately.
