Senator Aishat Dahiru Binani, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last gubernatorial election in Adamawa State, has raised serious allegations against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Binani claims that INEC is deliberately frustrating her petition against the declaration of Adamu Fintri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the poll.
Addressing the press on behalf of Binani, Alhaji Mustapha Umar Madawaki, the APC Returning Officer at the March 18 Governorship election and the re-run of April 15, accused INEC of bias and disregard for court orders. He revealed that INEC is allegedly making desperate efforts to arrest and detain the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Hudu Yunusa Ari, to prevent him from testifying on behalf of the APC candidate at the ongoing Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
Madawaki claimed that INEC, in collusion with the state government and anti-Binani forces, aims to obstruct the diligent prosecution of the petition by keeping the suspended REC out of circulation to prevent him from serving as a witness for the governorship candidate.
Explaining the genesis of the election crisis and the resulting petition, the APC Returning Officer alleged that during the collation of results, INEC suddenly replaced its trained add-hoc workers with another group of untrained staff not meant for collation. This alleged substitution led to different election results from those submitted by the authentic workers.
Madawaki further claimed that an unlawful add-hoc staff list was submitted by an agent of the state government, and INEC’s acceptance of this list serves as evidence of bias in favor of the PDP.
Senator Binani, according to Madawaki, is also a victim of gender discrimination in her pursuit of the governorship ambition. He announced that Embassies and Diplomatic Missions would be kept informed of the ongoing battle to regain what they allege to be the stolen mandate of the governorship candidate.
The situation remains contentious as the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal hears the case, and the accusations against INEC raise concerns about the fairness and integrity of the electoral process.