Suspended Adamawa REC did nothing wrong, says Binani campaign director

The campaign director of Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru, governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Vrati Nzonzo has absolved suspended Adamawa REC Hudu Yunusa Ari of any wrong doing.

Ari announced Binani winner of the supplementary polls in Adamawa while the collation of results were still going on.

INEC suspended the collation and ordered Ari and other officials involved to report to its headquarters in Abuja.

In a letter by Rose Oriaran-Anthony, Secretary to INEC, the REC was ordered to steer clear from office.

Incumbent governor in Adamawa Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was eventually declared winner.

But speaking on Tuesday during a programme on Channels Television, Nzonzo said Ari did what he believed was the best thing to do.

“It is not wrong… on the premise that he doesn’t want to allow a vacuum in the state, results must be announced.

“The information we got was that because of the way state government agents were hunting down electoral officers, people were running for safety. I’m not surprised that the returning officer disappeared.

“I’m not a staff of INEC but any right-thinking person knows that the responsibility to coordinate their he activities of INEC in Adamawa lies with Hudu.

“Hudu’s action is okay. If he can announce the election as inconclusive, why won’t he announce the winner?

“When he announced the first election as inconclusive, nobody said anything. Festus Okoye was not on national television to condemn it but when on the second turn, he announced Binani as the winner of the election, all hell let loose.”

Nzonzo stated that Hudu made it clear that considering the circumstances he found himself at that moment, he had to take responsibility and act.

Also Nzonzo claimed Binani is being witch-hunted and that the media and individuals are used to victimise her because she is a woman.