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Asks INEC to declare Fintiri winner
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Atiku raises alarm over plot to undermine democracy, provoke violence
With the shenanigan that followed the Adamawa State governorship supplementary election on Sunday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that N2 billion has changed hands to declare the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Dahiru Ahmed, popularly called Binani, winner of Adamawa State governorship election.
At a press conference on Sunday, Debo Ologunagba, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, said that the party has information on the alleged bribe of the huge sum to manipulate the election in favour of the APC.
“We have an information, in fact a confession that the REC, who had no business announcing results, did so after the sum of N2 billion allegedly changed hands,” Ologunagba said.
Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of PDP and former Vice President, has raised an alarm over alleged plot to undermine democracy and provoke violence in Adamawa State.
Recall that the governorship election in Adamawa State is still enmeshed in controversy as the Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Hudu Ari announced the APC candidate, Binani, against the rule of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which empowered the Returning Officer to announce the result of elections.
Atiku called on Nigerians to game plan to upturn the democratic wishes of the people of Adamawa State in the governorship election in the state.
The former Vice President, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said that the initial decision of the REC to declare the APC candidate, Sen. Aisha Dahiru Ahmed, as the winner of the election, is a case study to the shambolic nature of the 2023 elections in general.
He said: “Here in Adamawa, we are witnesses to a novel practice in election management where a REC announced the loser of an election as a winner.
“It is not in doubt that INEC has approached the Adamawa State election with a preset agenda of declaring the APC at all cost.
“It is, therefore, on this note that we wish to call the attention of the world to the scheme being perpetrated by INEC to compromise the electoral wishes of the people of Adamawa State.
He added, “We also wish to inform the world that such behaviour by INEC has a natural consequence of unsettling the peace and security of the society.
“We have seen how INEC conducted the February 25 and March 18 elections against the run of play and challenged cheated candidates to go to the court, knowing full well the agenda that they are up to.
“It must be put on record that the people of Adamawa State will not allow themselves to be cheated three times in a row. It must also be put on record that whatever the consequences of the scheme being scripted, both the INEC and those vested with state powers should be blamed for the consequences of such actions.
“That the APC candidate had a prepared acceptance speech is a pointer to the guarantee of a false victory which the INEC must have promised her.
“Recall that this was the same Resident Electoral Commissioner who pressured the Returning Officer to manipulate the results of the contentious Fufore Local Government Area in the March 18 governorship election.
“The people of Adamawa shall not allow this injustice to pass without being challenged.
“We demand the immediate resumption of the collation of results and its finalisation today.
“It is also our demand that the Adamawa REC and any other parties complicit in this treasonable act should be arrested immediately and prosecuted to the full extent of the law to serve as a deterrent to anti-democratic forces who may want to torpedo our democracy and provoke violence in our country.”
Again, the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party has warned that the mandate of the people of Adamawa state cannot be stolen.
The BoT, in a statement by its Chairman, Sen Adolphus Wabara, said that the open disregard for the rule of law is a pointer that the Electoral Commission is compromised.
The BoT charged INEC to ensure that the outcome of the supplementary elections is not added to the list of controversial elections conducted by the body.
“With due respect to the Electoral Act 2022 and the INEC guidelines regarding the 2023 electoral process, Nigerians watched in dismay the display of disregard to the rule of law by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Adamawa State, in person of Mr. Hudu Yunusa-Ari.
“Accompanied by security officials, and without following due process contained in the INEC guidelines and the Electoral Act, the REC took it on himself to assume responsibility for declaring results and hurriedly declared a winner in the Adamawa supplementary elections as results collation were still ongoing for 10 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
“So far, results from the collated 10 LGAs indicated that the PDP was still in clear lead over the closest contestant. This open disregard for the rule of law is a pointer that the Electoral Commission is compromised from within and Nigerians are expecting INEC to act justly as a neutral entity with respect to the supplementary elections taking place in Adamawa and other states in Nigeria.
“With the plethora of controversies surrounding the general elections so far, we call upon INEC to ensure that the outcome of the supplementary elections is not added to the list of controversial elections conducted by the body,” he added.
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