Defend yourself in court, INEC tells sacked Adamawa REC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has advised the sacked Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa-Ari, to approach the court and prove his innocence rather than making spurious allegations in the media.

Yunusa-Ari, who was sacked over his controversial declaration of Senator Aishatu Dahiru (Binani) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the 2023 Adamawa governorship election while collation was still ongoing, resurfaced at the weekend in Bauchi State at a press conference with allegations that the electoral umpire suppressed evidence proving Binani’s victory.

He accused the commission’s leadership of ignoring critical documents that could have altered the poll’s outcome.

Despite being suspended on April 17, 2023, Yunusa-Ari maintained that he acted lawfully and denied allegations that he accepted a N2 billion bribe to make the declaration.

Reacting to Yunusa-Ari’s remarks about the governorship poll, Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, stated that the commission saw nothing new in the assertions.

He emphasised that the election dispute had already been conclusively settled, with the Supreme Court delivering the final judgment.

INEC also made it clear that it would not comment on Yunusa-Ari’s controversial conduct during the election’s concluding stages, as the issue was before the High Court in Yola.

Oyekanmi said since Yunusa-Ari had returned to Nigeria, INEC insists that he should submit himself to due legal process rather than attempting to justify his actions through public declarations.

He said: “Our attention has also been drawn to the interview granted by the former REC of Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari. There is nothing new in what he said.

“In any case, the substantive matter of the 2023 Adamawa State governorship election has been determined through the appropriate judicial process from the trial tribunal to the Appeal Tribunal, and finally settled by the Supreme Court.

“The Commission will not comment on the propriety or otherwise of his conduct during the concluding part of the election as the matter is right now the subject of litigation at the High Court sitting in Yola, and therefore subjudice.

“Now that he is back in the country, the right place to prove his innocence and the propriety of his action is by availing himself for the due process of law, and not a press conference.”