ABUJA, Nigeria — Aishatu Binani, the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in the recent election in Adamawa, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of obstructing her petition at the tribunal.
Binani, a former senator, is currently challenging the declaration of Adamu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the election winner at the Adamawa Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
She alleges that INEC is exhibiting bias by disregarding a court order and attempting to arrest and detain the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mr. Hudu Ari.
She further alleged that the plan to apprehend Ari was calculated to prevent him from testifying on her behalf at the ongoing tribunal hearing.
“INEC wanted the suspended REC apprehended and kept out of circulation to make him unavailable as a witness for her,” Binani claimed.
On behalf of Binani in Abuja on Saturday, July 22, 2023, Mustapha Umar-Madawaki, the APC Returning Officer in the March 18 governorship election, called upon Nigerians to hold INEC accountable.
He argued that the electoral body’s actions prevented the APC candidate from reclaiming her mandate, which he claims was freely given by the people of Adamawa.
Umar-Madawaki also accused INEC of unlawfully substituting its trained ad-hoc workers with a different group during the results collation stage.
This change, he alleged, led to the production of election results that diverged from those submitted by the original workers.
He stated, “To my mind, that is a major reason why INEC is working overtime, trying to prevent the former Adamawa REC from testifying before the tribunal.”
When journalists contacted INEC for a response, Mr. Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, declined to comment on matters pending in court.
Okoye said, “The Commission has operated and will continue to operate within the confines and ambit of the law. Engaging in public discourse of matters pending in Court is contemptuous.”
As the battle for the alleged stolen mandate continues, the eyes of Nigerians and the international community remain focused on the tribunal’s decision.
