There may be more trouble for the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Adamawa State, Hudu Ari, in the controversial gubernatorial election that held in the state last Saturday as the Independent National Electoral Commission vows to write the Inspector General of Police, Baba Ahmed, to investigate and prosecute him.
Also, the electoral body decided that it will write the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, to brief President Muhammadu Buhari about Ari’s action.
The decision was taken on Tuesday at the technical meeting attended by national commissioners of INEC in Abuja.
The REC, who was suspended in a letter dated April 17, 2023 and signed by the commission’s secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, is facing huge bribery allegation for controversially declaring Aishatu Dahiru Binani, the candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), the winner of Adamawa state governorship election while results collation process was not completed.
Results were being expected from 10 of the 20 Local Government Areas where the election held when the REC made the announcement.
The returning officer, Professor Mohammed Mele, had earlier adjourned the collation till 11am but the REC made his way to the hall to make the pronouncement and departed immediately.
The returning officer was nowhere in sight when the REC made the announcement which triggered confusion.
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His action disrupted the electioneering process and caused chaos within the state.
Earlier, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agent at the INEC collation centre in Adamawa State, Idi Hong, called for the arrest of Ari.
Hong made this disclosure on Sunday after the REC, saying, “The REC must be arrested over this needless controversy. He lacks the power to do this.”
On her part, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the wife of the Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, blasted the electoral body over the handling of elections in the country.
According to Betty, the Chairman of the country’s electoral umpire, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and his team should be sacked over what she described as the embarrassment the commission had caused Nigeria.
In a terse post she made on her Facebook page, the governor’s wife disclosed that INEC had been a “colossal failure” to the country.
Betty, who clarified that she was not speaking in her capacity as a FIrstlady said, “OMG! INEC (Eye-Neck) is a COLOSSAL FAILURE!
“You can take this expression to the bank. It is about time that INEC was disbanded and Prof. Mahmood and his co-travelers kicked out! They have embarrassed this country enough.
“I say this as a concerned citizen worried about the future of this country.
“Let nobody come and tell me how not even a first lady can express her opinion on social media. You know me, I no send!”