Sir: The Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Ari, stirred the hornet’s nest during the supplementary election conducted on 15 April. Ari controversially declared Aisha Dahiru Binani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election when the collation of the results was ongoing.
It took the intervention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters, Abuja, to douse the tension that would have snowballed to political crises in Adamawa State and painted the commission in a bad light.
INEC described Ari’s action as null and void, and usurpation of the returning officer’s duties. It later invited the REC to Abuja and subsequently ordered him to stay away from the Adamawa State supplementary election.
Since Ari’s shame, or false declaration of the result, many political pundits have continued to question the rationale behind his actions. The questions begging for answers are: Did Ari receive an order from above to declare Binani? Was he financially induced to make such an unconstitutional or illegal declaration? Interestingly, INEC’s call for Ari’s investigation will reveal the truth of the matter sooner than later.
With the various reforms by INEC in order to conduct free, fair and credible elections in the country, the likes of Ari are not helping matters and are giving the commission a bad image. He is a lawyer, and was expected to know what the electoral law says, and that his actions violated the law.
Ari’s declaration came at a time opposition parties expressed doubts and rejected the outcome of the last presidential election which Bola Ahmed Tinubu won. Both Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), who objected to the result have taken their case to the election tribunal.
Little wonder, the INEC leadership swiftly countered Ari’s improper conduct in order to save its integrity. The unprofessionalism displayed by the former Adamawa REC should serve as a wake-up call to INEC to continue to monitor its officers. Some of its officers can compromise the system in anticipation of financial rewards.
There is the need to flush out the likes of Ari. Since 2015, the conduct of elections has changed in the country. Whoever wants to drag us back should not have a place in the present Commission. Election is a serious business, which people with dubious character should not be allowed to supervise. The action of Ari has nearly eroded the gains recorded by INEC in the last election.
•Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua,
Kaduna State