The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has overturned the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, popularly known as Binani, as the winner of the governorship election in Adamawa state.
Binani was declared the governor-elect in a controversial manner on Sunday morning when the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Barrister Hudu Yunusa, usurped the power of the Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Mele, to make the call.
This followed the supplementary election that took place in the North East state on Saturday, April 15, 2023.
Binani and the incumbent governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Ahmadu Fintiri, went into the Saturday contest after a clear winner had failed to emerge from the March 18 election, prompting the commission to declare the process inconclusive.
However, a bizarre development occurred on Sunday morning when the REC, against the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act, assumed the role of the Returning Officer and declared a winner while results were still being collated from 59 polling units.
Reacting to the development, INEC in a statement by the National Commissioner, Information & Voter Education, Barr. Festus Okoye declared Yunusa’s pronouncement null and void.
The commission has also suspended the collation of results of the supplementary election and ordered everyone involved, including the REC to report to the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
“The attention of the Commission has been drawn to a purported declaration of winner in the Adamawa Governorship election by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) even when the process has clearly not been concluded.
“The action of the REC is a usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer. It is null, void and of no effect. Consequently, the collation of results of the supplementary election is hereby suspended.
“The REC, Returning Officer and all involved are hereby invited to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja immediately. Detailed statement to follow shortly.”
Network8tvnews reports that before the election was declared inconclusive, Fintiri had taken a clear lead after polling a total of 421,524 votes as against 390,275 votes recorded by his closest challenger, Binani.
This means the incumbent governor went into the supplementary election with a healthy margin of 31,249 votes and saw his lead widen after recording 4,085 votes from 10 out of the 69 polling units results announced on Saturday while the APC candidate only added 3,128 votes to her tally.
The Returning Officer had on Saturday night suspended the collation of results till 11am on Sunday before Yunusa sneaked into the collation centre around 9am and declared Binani the winner of the election reading from a prepared speech.
