The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is calling for the prompt arrest of Hudu Ari, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Adamawa State. The PDP’s demand comes after Ari declared Aishatu Ahmed, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate also known as Aisha Binani, the winner of the supplementary polls held on Saturday, despite ongoing vote counting in some areas.
According to a statement released by PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba, the party condemned Ari’s action as a “criminal usurpation of the duties and powers of the Returning Officer” and urged the authorities to take swift action.
The statement reads: “The PDP demands the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mallam Hudu Ari, for making such an illegal declaration in the criminal usurpation of the duties and powers of the Returning Officer, Prof Mohammed Mele, while collation was ongoing.
“It is even more absurd that the Adamawa State REC did not only usurp the powers of the Returning Officer but also 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, The Independent National Electoral Commission Guidelines as well as the sensibility of the people of Adamawa State.
“This reprehensible criminal conduct of the Adamawa State REC confirms the earlier alarm by the PDP which demanded his immediate removal from Adamawa State following evidence of his complicity and being compromised by the APC and its candidate to manipulate the election in their favour notwithstanding the votes by the people of Adamawa State.
“Mallam Ari’s action is subversive and calculated to cause crisis in Adamawa State, destabilise our democracy and peaceful co-existence as a nation. We call on the Inspector General of Police to immediately arrest Mallam Ari and make him face the full wrath of the law for his conduct.”
