Category: Lead

•Says he acted in accordance with his powers under the law

The suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner for Adamawa state, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, has risen in his own defence over his April 16 declaration of Aishatu Dahiru (Binani) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the recent governorship election in the state.

Yunusa-Ari, who has since been in hiding, said in an open letter to the Inspector General of Police Baba Alkali that his action was motivated by the desire to save the democratic process, and was in accordance with the powers conferred on him by the Electoral Act as the Chief Collation Officer in the state.

The embattled REC accused the two National Commissioners deployed to the state to supervise the April 15 supplementary election of usurping his responsibility as Resident Electoral Commissioner and acting under the influence of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri who was seeking re-election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Fintiri was eventually declared winner of the election.

In the four-page letter dated April 20, Yunusa-Ari said that as the Chief Collation Officer in the state, he observed that results uploaded on the IREV portal were not signed by him and therefore were null and void.

He said the two INEC commissioners held a meeting with “my management staff in my absence and I did not know the outcome of the meeting, and there was a sudden move to tamper with the list of Collation Officers (COs) earlier released for the rerun election.”

Read Also: APC’s Bindow declared winner of Adamawa guber poll

Besides, he said the two commissioners were dishing out counter instructions to the ones he issued to staff on the collation of results following a security report “from the Commissioner of Police that Boko Haram insurgents from neighbouring states were recruited by some politicians to cart away sensitive materials and disrupt the elections.”

Continuing, he said: “In the evening, when I was preparing for state collation, all seats for ICCES (Interagency Consultative Committee on election Security) members were set, I got to the place and discovered that my name was replaced with that of the Administrative Secretary to take charge of collation.

“I then asked the National Commissioners to explain why they would exclude me from the process of collating results but there was no explanation. After some time, the National Commissioners declared that | was nowhere to be found.

“Immediately after the announcement, someone called me and informed me about the development. So around 1:00 am on Sunday 16th April, 2023, I came back to the collation centrer and saw some people sleeping, including the two National Commissioners.

“I addressed them that I was still the Resident Electoral Commissioner and that all stakeholders for the re-run election should return to the collation centre by 11:00 am on Sunday, 16th April, 2023. 

“It is important to note that while the National Commissioners defiled the security concerns released by the Commissioner of Police, they purportedly did result collation at various locations by their self-appointed, unapproved and illegal collation officers.

“Meanwhile, I received reports that the collations at the various centres left much to be desired.

“So due to the pressure and the numerous calls I received from party agents and candidates of political parties threatening to cause mayhem for not having confidence in the collation of results at the various collation centres as directed by the National Commissioners, I looked inward and decided to call for all the results from the sixty-nine (69) polling units.

“To avert the impending danger of the delay in announcing the results of the supplementary elections, I received the authentic results submitted by the Presiding Officers (POs) from all the sixty-nine polling units and compared them with results that were uploaded on the IREV (INEC portal) and I realised that the results on the portal were different because the results on the INEC portal were not signed by me.”

Yunusa-Ari added that the action of the National Commissioners and threats by political parties over the process of collating results “created an atmosphere of violence that almost marred the election, most of the stakeholders were scared and refused to continue with the election process, including the Returning Officer (RO).”

He said he even organised a meeting with the chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council, Mr. Bello Babajo, who assured him of reaching out to all the political parties to calm down the tension and to allow the process to be concluded swiftly.

“It was based on this, that I compiled all the polling unit results and declared the winner of the election based on the highest number of valid votes scored by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed Binani,” he said.

“The breakdown was the valid votes scored by the two leading candidates in the supplementary election using the results from the polling units as collated into all relevant Forms EC8B, C,D and E respectively by properly and legally appointed and recognised Collation Officers and my humble self as Adamawa State Chief Collation Officer and Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).

“Prior to the declaration, there was an intelligence report made available to me that the two National Commissioners were at the Government House, Yola, at 8:31pm on 15/04/2023 and held a meeting with the State Governor, Mr. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.” 

Copies of the letter were sent to the INEC Chairman, Director General, DSS and the National Security Adviser, although the content suggests that it might have been meant for the Commission.

The letter is the first communication from the suspended REC since the April 16 incident.

• New APC Reps will toe party line – Sources •Gagdi woos LP lawmakers
• North-Central govs back Musa for Deputy Senate President

The tempo of campaign for leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly has heightened ahead of Wednesday’s meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The various aspirants strongly believe that the intensity of their campaign can get them some attention from the NWC members and other party leaders as well as other stakeholders who will decide on the APC zoning of the principal offices of the legislature.

The Nation gathered that aside working harder to convince party leaders and other stakeholders of their individual competence for the position they seek, the federal legislators are also pushing hard to ensure that the planned zoning favours them.

The NWC meeting was summoned by the party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

Notice of the meeting to all the 24-member NWC was issued by the National Secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore, on Friday.

Coming on the heels of a lawsuit instituted against Adamu and Omisore by the National Vice Chairman (North West) of the party, Salihu Lukman, the meeting is expected to discuss the lawsuit as well as the zoning arrangement for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly among other issues.

All the zones of the country except the Southwest, which produced the President-elect, have aspirants gunning for the Senate presidency and the speakership.

Pressure has been mounting on the party to decide on the zoning as early as possible.

A party source spoke last night on how “most NWC members have either been visited or communicated with by many of the aspirants as we speak. Their messages are the same – zone the positions to our area; support our ambitions.

“On a daily basis, we receive many delegations which come here to give us messages on behalf of the aspirants. They come to discuss the zoning of the offices and the competence of their preferred candidates with us.

“Many other groups have sent in letters and other forms of communications soliciting on behalf of their zones or aspirants.”

It was also gathered that the leadership of the party may have succeeded in getting the commitment of newly elected members of the House of Representatives to toe party line when electing the next leaders of the NASS.

The new APC legislators, following series of deliberations with the leadership of the ruling party and other party organs, are convinced that it is in the best interest of the party for them to abide by the position of the APC leadership on the matter.

A ranking member of the House, who craved anonymity, said the new members, given their large number this time, may decide how the next leadership of the lower chamber will emerge.

He said: “The APC have many of them. Given that they are freshers in the National Assembly, it is necessary to guide them from being lured into anti-party activities by those seeking power in the House.

“The party leadership and other organs of the party did well in orientating them and it has paid off real good. They now know what to do and what not to do.

“With the opposition showing an unusual interest in the Speakership, we moved swiftly and ensured they don’t poach our unsuspecting new members. They have been duly briefed on the supremacy of the party.

“They all can also read the body language of the President-elect and they have seen that he is a democrat who is versed in party politics.

“Now that they know what anti-party activities are and how grievous such are, they won’t want to be caught doing anything of such, especially as regards the election of the leaders of the 10th National Assembly.”

One of the APC Reps-elect and former Commissioner in Ondo State, Donald Ojogo, said during the week that whoever the leadership of the APC favours for the Speaker of the House will be supported by all.

The politician elected to represent the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency of Ondo State said there is no way the opposition will win the Speakership despite  its slight advantage in the number of members.

“Our party leaders know what they are doing and they have a lot of things to consider before deciding on zoning or who should hold what position in the National Assembly,” Ojogo said on television.

He added: “The party may be searching for a Speaker who is not only competent but someone who will also fit into the programmes and policies of the APC and the incoming Tinubu administration.

“Anybody the party decides should go for the Speakership will win with nothing less than 205 votes.”

North Central govs back Sani Musa for deputy Senate President

Kwara State Governor Abdulrahaman Abdulrazaq and Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello have adopted the resolution of Senators-Elect from the North Central endorsing Niger East Senator, Sani Musa, for the position of Deputy President of the Senate.

The North Central Senators-Elect met with the governors of the zone at the Kwara State Governor’s Lodge Asokoro, Abuja on Friday night shortly after they met in the Maitama and passed a resolution to support Sani Musa’s bid. The Senators-elect were received by the two governors.

They were led to the meeting by Senator Musa, who is the Chairman of the North Central Senators-Elect Caucus.

It was further learnt that the meeting was held so that they could formally meet and familiarise with their governors who are the political leaders of their various states.

They were said to have seized the opportunity to inform the governors of their resolution during their caucus meeting to back Musa for deputy Senate President.

During the meeting, Governor Bello was said to have commended the caucus for coming together for the first time to “pursue the interest of the zone”, which he noted has “never happened before.”

Bello was said to have called on all the political actors in the zone from the local government elected officials, political appointees, serving and former State and National Assembly members to unite as one entity.

He also assured the federal lawmakers-elect that all the governors of the North Central geopolitical zone would support their aspiration to produce a presiding officer in the 10th National Assembly.

His words: “This is the appropriate time for us to unite in order to pursue a common goal so that North Central Nigeria would take its rightful place in the affairs of the country.”

Also speaking, the Kwara State Governor said: “The fact that the elected senators from our zone, irrespective of their political party affiliation, have chosen to come together to promote a common interest for the benefits of the North Central and the country, is a welcome development and highly commendable.

“We will advise the caucus to reach out to other zones with the aim of getting the required numbers and cooperation.

“All the senators-elect should also remain focused and pursue vigorously, their quest for the highest possible leadership position in the 10th Senate.

“The governors of the North Central geopolitical zone will continue to support the aspirations of Senator Musa to lead the 10th Assembly by all means possible.”

The Senators-elect hailed President-Elect Bola Tinubu for his disposition to ensure fairness and equity in the distribution of leadership positions to all the geopolitical zones.

The leader of the caucus, Senator Musa, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, appealed to the governors to continue the quest for equity for the zone.

In attendance at the meeting were Senators Musa, Isah Jibrin (Kogi East), and Sadiq Umar Suleiman (Kwara North).

Others were Senators-Elect Peter Ndalkali Jiya (Niger South), Ahmed Aliyu Wadada (Nasarawa West), Sunday Karimi (Kogi West), Udende Memsa Emmanuel (Benue North-East), Titus Tartenger Zam (Benue North West), Hon Diket Plang (Plateau Central), Mohammed Onawo (Nasarawa South), and Engr. (Dr) Abubakar Sadiku Ohere (Kogi Central), among others.

Gagdi lobbies LP Reps-elect

An aspirant for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Adamu Gagdi , has reached out to Reps-elect from the Labour Party (LP) for their support.

Gagdi met with many LP Reps-elect in Abuja on Friday in a follow-up meeting after earlier interaction with leaders of the party across the country.

He has been consulting widely across party lines to build a national governing coalition that reflects the composition of the House of Representatives.

The latest meeting is one of the many consultative parleys being convened by the lawmaker with members of the House elected across various political parties.

The former Plateau State Deputy Speaker is one of the three candidates for the position of Speaker from the North Central zone and the second from Plateau State.

Ex NDDC boss canvasses support for South-South, Akpabio

A former Sole Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Efiong Akwa, said the immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, fits the bill for the Senate Presidency.

Fielding questions from journalists in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital on Friday, Akwa said with the next president of the country coming from the Southwest, the South-South should produce the Senate President.

He said: “Since 1999, we have had a model, that where the President goes is where the Senate President goes. The South-South that produces the oil has not been part of the priority list of the government.

“We are united by this demand, appeal and request to the APC, the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the Vice President-elect, other stakeholders and Senators-elect that the position of Senate President should be zoned to the South-South.

“It is a request to the APC, the President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all well-meaning Nigerians that the office of the Senate President should be zoned to the South-South.”

He said the South East has produced several Senate Presidents since 1999 and now it is the turn of the South-South.

His words: “Each time the Senate President comes to Southern Nigeria, it is usually micro-zoned to the South East.

“The South-East has had uninterrupted Senate President five times. His Excellency, Adolphos Wabara from Abia State; Evans Enwerem from Imo State; Chuba Okadigbo from Anambra State; Pius Anyim from Ebonyi State and Ken Nnamani from Enugu State.

“The position has been distributed to the five South-Eastern states, so, now the Senate President coming to the South cannot go to the South-West, because the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is from the South-West. The natural place, if we mean zoning, it should go to the South-South.

“What an average Nigerian is looking for now is strong institutions and not strong individuals; sustainable development goals, and we need somebody who has the pedigree and capacity to actualise that for a united Nigeria, and that person is here in the South-South.

“I am presenting Senator Godswill Akpabio for this position. Without a doubt, South-South seeks the support of all. We need to give a match to someone with the capacity to match with what the executive is doing.”

The Federal Government has introduced new set of taxes on beer, imported vehicles and single use plastics.

It has also added to the list of items banned from being imported into the country.

Under the newly introduced taxes, the Federal Government will charge N75 per litre of beer or stout imported into Nigeria. 

According to the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, N75 per litre will be charged on “beer and stout including all alcoholic beverages and beer not made from malt- wether fermented or not fermented” in 2023. 

This new excise duty on beer and stout will be increased to N100 per litre in 2024.

Before the new rates, the government taxed imported alcoholic beverages using valorem rates- levying of tax or customs duties) proportionate to the estimated value of the goods or transaction concerned. Now there is a specific rate not an estimate.

The same excise rate for beer will be applied to the importation of wine.

Under the tax laws, two litre engine vehicles will attract an Import Adjustment Tax (IAT) of two percent while vehicles with four litre engines and above will attract four percent IAT with effect from 1June, 2023.

The Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning quietly issued a circular (HMFBNP/MDAs/circular/2023FP/04) to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies on April 20, 2023 informing them of the new developments.

Details of the recent tax regimes contained in the new Fiscal Policy Measures (FPM) documents and approved by President Muhammadu Buhari were revealed by Mr. Taiwo Oyedele of PricewaterhouseCoopers on Twitter. 

The Federal Government has also revised the import prohibition list with the inclusion of used motor vehicles above 12 years from the Year of manufacture; Paracetamol tablets Syrups; Cotrimozazole tablets and Syrups; Metronidazole tablets and Syrups and Chloroquine tablets and Syrups. 

Also included on the list are Folic acid tablets; Vitamin B Complex tablets (except modified release formulations); Multivitamin tablets, capsules and syrups (except special formulations); Aspirin tablets (except modified release formulations and soluble aspirin).

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Others are: Magnesium trisilicate tablets and suspensions; Piperazine tablets and syrups; Levamisole tablets and syrups; Ointments penicillin/gentamycin; Pyrantel pamoate tablets and syrups; Intravenous Fluids (Dextrose, Normal Saline etc); Waste pharmaceutiques; and Mineral or chemical fertilisers containing the three fertilising elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK)

The Federal Government also introduced a Green Tax by way of excise duty on Single Use Plastics (SUPs) including plastic containers, films and bags at the rate of 10 percent. 

An Import Adjustment Tax (IAT) levy has been introduced on motor vehicles of 2000 cc to 3999 cc at 2 percent while 4000 cc and above will be taxed at 4 percent. 

With effect from 1st June, 2023, “vehicles below 2000cc, mass transit buses, electric vehicles, and locally manufactured vehicles are exempted”. 

The circular hrested the matter over the imposition of five percent excise duty on telecommunication services introduced via the Finance Act 2020 and prescribed in the Official Gazette No. 88, Vol. 109 of 11 May 2022 approved by the President. 

Going forward, the five percent tax will apply to mobile telephone services (GSM), fixed telephone and internet services- postpaid and prepaid.

Under the Supplementary Protection Measures (SPM) as it relates to the implementation of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff 2022-2026, the circular stated that the changes are effective from 1 May 2023 subject to 90-days grace period for importers who had opened Form M before 1 May 2023. 

Items on the list include rice, woven fabrics, ceramics tiles and sinks, steel, containers for compressed or liquified gas, aluminum cans, washing machines, electric generating sets and rotary converters, smart phones, new and used passenger motor vehicles and electricity meters. The applicable duties for most of the items are unchanged from the 2022 FPM rates.

Rivers Governor Nyesome Wike has expressed confidence in the ability of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to turn around tbe fortunes of the country.

Approving the choice of Tinubu by Nigerians at the February 25 Presidential election, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader, said Nigerians are anxiously waiting for the May 29 inauguration of the President-elect.

Wike spoke on Friday after paying a courtesy visit along with his Oyo State counterpart, Governor Seyi Makinde to the President-elect in Abuja.

The duo, who are members of the G5 Governors of the opposition PDP on Friday paid a visit to the President-elect.

The two PDP leaders had a closed-door meeting with Tinubu with the Kebbi Governor Atiku Bagudu; his Jigawa counterpart Abubakar Badaru and former Ekiti Governor Kayode Fayemi.

Speaking with newsmen after their visit, Wike said: “Elections are gone and a winner has emerged and therefore all Nigerians must rally round and give him (Tinubu) necessary support.

“Everybody is waiting for May 29 to see that the President is inaugurated and he keeps the ground running to make sure that Nigerians get what they expected.

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“I have confidence that he (Tinubu) has what it takes to turn Nigeria around. I have confidence in him.”

Makinde said their visit was just to pay homage to the President-elect and to pledge their support for his administration.

Makinde, who was so elated, told newsmen:”I have come to pay homage to the President-elect and to tell him that elections are over and it is time for governance. 

“We will do our best to give him the support for good governance.”

Suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner(REC) for Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari has said that he declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress(APC) wnner of the governorship election in the State to save the democratic process.

Ari said he acted in accordance with the powers conferred on him by the Electoral Act as the Chief Collation Officer in Adamawa State.

This was contained in a four-page letter he wrote to the Inspector General of Police from his hiding.

The embattled REC  accused the two National Commissioners deployed to the State to supervise the April 15 supplementary election of collecting bribe from Governor Ahmadu Fintiri to declare him winner of the governorship election in Adamawa State.

In the letter, which was hand-dated April 20, the embattled REC also accused the two National Commissioners of usurping his responsibility as Resident Electoral Commissioner.

He denied any wrong doing in declaring the candidate of the APC, Aishatu Dahiru (Binani) winner of the governorship election saying he acted within the responsibility vested on him by the Electoral Act as the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state.

He said that as the Chief Collation Officer in the State, he observed that results uploaded on the IREV portal were not signed by him and therefore null and void.

The letter titled: “Report of the conduct of supplementary elections held on the 15th April, 2023 in Adamawa state”, a copy of which was obtained by The Nation was stamped received in the IGP office on the same day.

Although the letter, which was copied to the the INEC Chairman, Director General, DSS and the National Security Advisor was addressed to the Inspector General of Police, the content is suggestive of the fact that it may have been meant for the Commission.

The letter is the first communication of the suspended REC since he declared Binani winner of the election.

INEC had said that it was not aware of the where about of the Hudu Yunusa-Ari as he did not respond to summon to come to Abuja to explain his actions and did not return any of the calls placed to him.

The letter reads “You may wish to know that there is no better time than now to update the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and all concerned Nigerians on the conduct of the 15th April, 2023 supplementary elections in Adamawa State. 

“It is against this background that you sent two National Commissioners, Dr. Baba Bila and Prof. Abdullahi Zuru to assist me in the conduct of the re-run elections in Adamawa State. | hope this was a confirmation that you wanted the Commission to conduct the elections to reflect the collective aspirations of the people of the State. 

“At the end of the day, the actions of the two National Commissioners left much to be desired. The Commissioners held a meeting with my management staff in my absence and I did not know the outcome of the meeting and there was a sudden move to tamper with the list of Collation Officers (COs) earlier released for the rerun election. 

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“On the day of election, before the sensitive and non-sensitive materials were to be distributed across the affected Local Governments and polling units, I received a security report from the Commissioner of Police that Boko Haram insurgents from neighbouring states were recruited by some politicians to cart away sensitive materials and disrupt the elections. 

“According to the report, the sensitive materials were not expected to leave the INEC office on the 14th April, 2023 until the day of election, which was on the 15th April, 2023 as shown in the attached photocopy of the letter from the Commissioner of Police, Adamawa State as Annex Al and A2.

“After the first letter from the Police Commissioner, another letter came from Police updating me that the security threat is still high as some Local Government Collation centers will be attacked and as such the Police advise that all collations from Registration Areas (RAs) and Local Government centers should be done at the State level, which was the INEC headquarters Annex, Adamawa State. Attached is the photocopy of the second letter from the Commissioner of Police as Annex B. 

“In line with the security advice, I directed the Electoral Officers (EOs) and Local Government Collation officers to ensure that Results Collations should be done at a centralized INEC ANNEX OFFICE IN DOUGIREI, Yola 

“However, at this point, the National Commissioners quickly and secretly gave out conflicting counter directives to the EOs that collation should be done in the Local Government Areas with an instruction that NEW LGA COLLATION OFFICERS which | am not aware of will be sent to them.

“This is without my knowledge or authorization as the Resident Electoral Commissioner as recognized by laws establishing INEC and the Electoral act. 

“In the evening, when I was preparing for state collation, all seats for ICCES (Interagency Consultative Committee on election Security) members were set, I got to the place and discovered that my name was replaced with that of the Administrative Secretary to take charge of collation. 

“I then asked the National Commissioners to explain why they would exclude me from the process of collating results. But there was no explanation. After some time, the National Commissioners declared that | was nowhere to be found. 

“Immediately after the announcement, someone called me and informed me about the development. So around 1:00 am on Sunday 16th April, 2023, I came back to the collation center and saw some people sleeping including the two National Commissioners. 

“I addressed them that I was still the Resident Electoral Commissioner and that all stakeholders for the re-run election should return to the collation center by 11:00 am on Sunday, 16th April, 2023. 

“It is important to note that while the National Commissioners defiled the security concerns released by the Commissioner of Police, they purportedly did result collation at various locations by their self-appointed, unapproved and illegal collation officers. 

“Meanwhile, I received reports that the collations at the various centers left much to be desired. 

“So due to the pressure and the numerous calls I received from party agents and candidates of political parties threatening to cause mayhem for not having confidence in the collation of results at the various collation centers as directed by the National Commissioners, I looked inward and decided to call for all the results from the sixty-nine (69) polling units. 

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“To avert the impending danger of the delay in announcing the results of the supplementary elections, I received the authentic results submitted by the Presiding Officers (POs) from all the sixty-nine polling units and compared them with results that were uploaded on the IREV (INEC portal) and I realized that the results on the portal were different because the results on the INEC portal were not signed by me”.

Speaking further, he said  “On 15/04/2023 at about 10:00pm, armed Policemen from the Government House came to my house and placed me under House Arrest to prevent me from conducting my legitimate duties.

“It took the intervention of the Commissioner of Police who sent Mobile Policemen to my house to save the day and when they heard that a call was made to the CP, the Policemen trom Government House fled in a White Toyota Hilux van. 

“In view of the time constraint and obvious risk to my life and to conclude the supplementary elections and forestall the breakdown of law and order, I organized a meeting comprising my co-chair, who is the Commissioner of Police, Director of Security Services, Commandant of Civil Defense Corps and others on the way forward. 

“As the action of the National Commissioners and threats by political parties over the process of collating results created an atmosphere of violence that almost marred the election, most of the stakeholders were scared and refused to continue with the election process including the Returning Officer (RO).

“I also organized a meeting with the chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council, in the person of Mr. Bello Babajo who assured me that he would reach out to all the political parties to calm down the tension and to allow the process to be concluded swiftly. 

“It was based on this, that I compiled all the polling unit results and declared the winner of the election based on the highest number of valid votes scored by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed Binani.

“The breakdown was the valid votes scored by the two leading candidates in the supplementary election using the results from the polling units as collated into all relevant Forms EC8B, C,D and E respectively by properly and legally appointed and recognized Collation Officers and my humble self as Adamawa state Chief Collation Officer and Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).

“Prior to the declaration, there was an intelligence report made available to me that the two National Commissioners were at the Government House, Yola, at 8:31pm on 15/04/2023 and held a meeting with the State Governor, Mr. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri. 

“So, immediately after the declaration, some PDP supporters attacked one of the National Commissioners, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru as well as the Returning Officer, Prof. Muhammed Mele for failing to deliver Mr. Anmadu Umaru Fintiri winner in the election after collecting money from him. 

“It was also alleged that the people beaten in the purported video wanted to subvert the re-run election in Adamawa State and undermine the will of the Adamawa people as expressed through the ballot. 

“A staff of Department of State Services (DSS) on intelligence gathering on the money allegedly given to the National Commissioners was also disarmed, abducted, taken to Government House Yola and assaulted by Police from Government House, Yola and thugs loyal to the PDP. 

“In view of the preceding paragraphs, whatever may be collated by the two National Commissioners is shrouded in doubt which is unacceptable and therefore illegal. On my own side, I want to categorically say that my action is within the responsibility vested on me and within the ambit of the law particularly the Electoral Act 2022 as amended.”Ends