- The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) dismissed Hudu Yunusa-Ari’s claims and urged him to present his defense in court
- Yunusa-Ari, dismissed for declaring Aishatu Dahiru the winner prematurely, insists he has evidence supporting her victory
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims made by Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Adamawa State.
The commission urged him to present his defense in court rather than addressing the media.
Yunusa-Ari lost his position after controversially declaring Senator Aishatu Dahiru (Binani) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2023 Adamawa governorship election while results were still being collated.
The Senate approved his dismissal following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request. After months in hiding, Yunusa-Ari resurfaced over the weekend in Bauchi, alleging that INEC suppressed evidence supporting Binani’s victory.
He accused INEC’s leadership of ignoring key documents that could have changed the election results in favor of the incumbent Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Reacting to his claims, Mr. Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, stated that Yunusa-Ari’s remarks brought nothing new.
He emphasized that the election dispute had already been settled, with the Supreme Court delivering the final ruling.
“The matter of the 2023 Adamawa governorship election has gone through the judicial process, from the trial Tribunal to the Appeal Tribunal, and was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court,” Oyekanmi said.
He further noted that INEC would not comment on Yunusa-Ari’s actions during the election’s concluding phase, as the case remains in litigation at the High Court in Yola.
“Now that he is back, the proper way to prove his innocence is through legal proceedings, not press conferences,” Oyekanmi added.
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