The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has asked one of its Resident Electoral Commissioners, Barr Hudu Yunusa Ari, to abstain from any electoral umpire and election-related activities in Adamawa State.
Mr Yunusa Ari, the REC for the Adamawa State gubernatorial election, sparked outrage on Sunday morning when he declared Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the polls, a move that was not within his legally mandated jurisdiction.
Aside from usurping the Returning Officer’s office, Barr Ari erred twice by announcing the results of an election whose collation process had not been completed, causing tension within the state and sparking great debate across the nation, with observers calling what happened in Adamawa State a shame.
INEC responded quickly, declaring Binani the ‘Winner’ of the Adamawa Governorship Election ‘Null and Void,’ adding that the proclamation had no consequence.
As a result, INEC halted the collation of results from the supplementary election in Adamawa and summoned the REC, Returning Officer, and all other officials involved to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
As a follow-up to previous moves, the electoral umpire issued a statement on Monday asking Barr Yunusa Ari to stay away from the Commission’s Office in Adamawa State till further notice.
According to the announcement, the Commission’s Administrative Secretary in Adamawa has been asked to assume complete control of INEC in the state with immediate effect.
