The 2023 Adamawa Governorship election, remains one of the longest, most intriguing and most dramatic electoral contests in the history of the country, marred with electoral violence and irregularities.
The profundity of desperation was glaring amongst the key players, who demonstrated the influence of money politics as a key factor in winning elections in Nigeria.
The desperation was visible in the electoral violence, the voting exercise which was further exacerbated during the collation centre in Yola, Adamawa State where thugs attacked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) collation centre.
Consequently, INEC declared the Gubernatorial election in Adamawa State of March 18, 2023, inconclusive due to issues in Fufore Local Government, which caused outburst on the ground that the number of cancelled votes exceeded the margin of lead between the People’s Democratic Party candidate.
Four weeks later on April, 15th a rerun was held in the affected local government areas.
However, in what seems like a movie scene, the collation took a dramatic twist when the Resident Electoral Commissioner Hudu Yunusa Ari, unilaterally declared the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aishatu Dahiru Bunani, winner of the Adamawa governorship election.
The REC reportedly sneaked into the collation centre two hours before the scheduled time for the resumption of collation to declare the APC candidate, Aisha Dahiru Bunani, as the winner. While the entire state awaited the resumption of collation.
As if the chaos caused by the outcome of the controversial declaration wasn’t enough, Binani, delivered an acceptance speech appreciating the people of Adamawa for voting for the first elected female governor in the country.
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In a desperate bid to legitimise the illegality, use judicial process as a conduit to put a stamp of authority on the criminality and subvert the will of the people Binani filed for an order to halt further action on the ongoing governorship election in Adamawa State.
Unfortunately, the Federal High Court in Abuja refused to entertain the ex-parte motion due to jurisdictional ambiguity,
These development triggered reactions across the political divide, and protests in the state with allegations and counter-allegations that the APC candidate gave INEC officials N2 billion to be announced as the winner.
Attempting to redeem its image, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) expeditiously requested the presence of Ari in Abuja and invalidated his proclamation as it is deemed to have infringed upon the authority of the collation and returning officer.
The drama and intrigues that characterised the Adamawa governorship election finally came to an end on, Tuesday, 18th with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declaring the incumbent, Ahmadu Fintiri of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) as the governor-elect after defeating major rival Aisha Binani of the All Progressives Congress with 430,861 votes.
One of the casualties of the Adamawa electoral drama is Mohammed Barde, the State Commissioner of Police who was immediately redeployed by Akali Usman Baba, Inspector General Of Police for being at the illegal declaration of APC candidate, Aisha Dahiru Bunani, as the winner of the election.
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Binani’s desperation to win the election by all means necessary has in no small measure messed up the hopes of women who were rooting for her. Her actions were seen as a betrayal of the cause of women’s political participation and empowerment, which has been a major issue in Nigeria’s political landscape.
The role of money in the election was also evident during this election period, with allegations that politicians paid huge sums of money to the Department of State Services (DSS) to influence the outcome of the election. This move further undermined the credibility of the election and the democratic process in Nigeria.
IN CONCLUSION, the 2023 Adamawa Governorship election was a testament to the deep-seated problems of money politics, electoral violence, and weak institutions in Nigeria’s democratic process. The failure of INEC and the judiciary to ensure free and fair elections, as well as the desperation of politicians to win at all costs, undermined the credibility of the election and eroded public confidence in the democratic process. Stakeholders must work together to address these challenges and ensure that future elections are free, fair, and credible.
©NigeriaCrime