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Prepare For Consequences Of Declaring ‘Loser As Winner’ Of Adamawa Guber Poll – Atiku Tells INEC

Former vice-president and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday said, the controversial declaration of Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (Binani) as the winner of Saturday’s supplementary governorship in Adamawa State was premeditated.

Atiku said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must have promised a “false victory” to Binani, resulting in her declaration as winner of the election before the conclusion of collation.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate was controversially announced as winner of the election by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa Ari, instead of the returning officer for the poll.

Prior to the announcement, the incumbent Governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, was reportedly leading in the results collated so far.

Moments after Yunusa made the declaration, INEC’s National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, declared it “null and void”.

Okoye said the REC’s action was an “usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer” whose lawful duty it is to announce the outcome of the poll.

“It is null, void and of no effect.
Consequently, the collation of results of the supplementary election is hereby suspended”, Okoye said.

But reacting in a statement issued by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, on Sunday, Atiku said INEC must be prepared to take responsibility for any negative outcome of declaring a “loser as winner”.

The former vice-president alleged of plot to undermine democracy in the country and “provoke violence” in Adamawa State.

His words, “Here in Adamawa, we are witnesses to a novel practice in election management where a Resident Electoral Commissioner announced the loser of an election as a winner.

“It is not in doubt that INEC has approached the Adamawa State election with a preset agenda of declaring the APC at all cost.

“It is, therefore, on this note that we wish to call the attention of the world to the scheme being perpetrated by INEC to compromise the electoral wishes of the people of Adamawa State.

“We also wish to inform the world that such behaviour by INEC has a natural consequence of unsettling the peace and security of the society.

“We have seen how INEC conducted the February 25 and March 18 elections against the run of play and challenging cheated candidates to go to the court, knowing full well the agenda that they are up to.

“It must be put on record that the people of Adamawa State will not allow themselves to cheated three times in a row. It must also be put on record that whatever the consequences of the scheme being scripted, both the INEC and those vested with state powers should be blamed for the consequences of such actions.

“That the APC candidate has a prepared acceptance speech is a pointer to the guarantee of a false victory which the INEC must have promised her.

“Recall that this was the same Resident Electoral Commissioner who pressured the Returning Officer to manipulate the results of the contentious Fufore Local Government Area in the March 18 governorship election.

“The people of Adamawa shall not allow this injustice to pass without being challenged.

“We demand the immediate resumption of the collation of results and its finalisation today.

“It is also our demand that the Adamawa REC and any other parties complicit in this treasonable act should be arrested immediately and prosecuted to the full extent of the law to serve as a deterrent to anti-democratic forces who may want to torpedo our democracy and provoke violence in our country”.

Meanwile, the PDP has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the controversial REC of Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa Ari, for making an illegal declaration of the defeated candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani, as the winner of the state governorship election.

The Party, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, also demanded that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters to direct the Returning Officer to conclude collation, announce the results from the polling units, and declare its candidate, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, as the winner.

The PDP accused the Adamawa State REC of being compromised by the APC and its candidate to manipulate the election in their favour, despite the votes by the people of Adamawa State.

“The PDP calls on the people of Adamawa State, Nigerians and the International Community to disregard the purported declaration of the defeated Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani as winner of the Adamawa State Governorship election.

“It is even more absurd that the Adamawa State REC did not only usurp the powers of the Returning Officer but attempted to declare a winner without figures in reckless violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC Guidelines as well as the sensibility of the people of Adamawa State.

“Mallam Yunusa Ari’s action is subversive and calculated to cause crisis in Adamawa State, destabilize our democracy and peaceful co-existence as a nation”, it said.

The PDP insisted that the REC’s action was subversive and calculated to cause crisis in the state and destabilizs democracy and peaceful co-existence as a nation.

It  noted that the results already collated across the 69 polling units where the supplementary elections held, and which are on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, clearly showed that Governor Fintiri won the election.

The PDP demanded that INEC should announce the results as already collated from the polling units and declare Governor Fintiri as the winner without further delay.

“From the results already collated across the 69 Polling Units where the supplementary elections held and which are on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, Governor Fintiri clearly won the election.

“The PDP therefore demands that INEC Headquarters should immediately direct the Returning Officer to conclude collation, announce the results from the Polling Units and declare our candidate, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri as winner, having scored the majority of lawful votes cast”, the party  added.

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