Tag: Binani

• …accuses INEC of suppressing evidence

The dismissed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, has claimed he has undeniable evidence proving that All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani, won the controversial 2023 governorship election.

Speaking in Bauchi over the weekend, Yunusa-Ari accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately suppressing documents he submitted, which he said exposed massive irregularities in favour of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri.

Yunusa-Ari also accused the Election Tribunal of ignoring his testimony and documentary evidence, insisting that his dismissal was orchestrated to cover up the truth.

Addressing claims that he accepted a ₦2 billion bribe to declare Binani the winner, he dismissed them as baseless and politically motivated. 

He added that he is consulting with his family on his next course of action, maintaining that he has been unfairly victimized.

Read Also: Binani debunks defection rumours, reaffirms commitment to APC  

Nation reports that Yunusa-Ari was suspended on April 17, 2023, after declaring Aisha Binani, the APC governorship candidate, as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship rerun election while collation was still in progress.

His announcement was widely condemned as illegal, prompting the INEC to swiftly nullify the declaration.

He was later arraigned before the Adamawa State High Court on charges of unprofessional conduct.

Earlier this year, his attempt to halt court proceedings was dismissed for lacking merit.

Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani, the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, remains widely popular and continues to enjoy the loyalty of over 398,000 voters who supported her in the election, a support group has claimed.

The Binani Grassroot Supporters and Mobilizers Adamawa North, speaking over the weekend, dismissed reports suggesting a decline in her support base. 

Addressing a news briefing in Yola, the group reaffirmed Binani’s commitment to the APC and her strong grassroots backing.

Alhaji Ibrahim Yunusa Mubi, the group’s leader, stated, “She still enjoys unflinching support from her followers, including those who contributed to the over 398,000 votes she secured in the 2023 governorship election.”

Binani had polled 398,788 votes in the election but lost to incumbent Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who secured 430,861 votes.

Read Also: Binani debunks defection rumours, reaffirms commitment to APC  

“We urge all political groups to learn from Binani, focus on profitable grassroot politics that will benefit our party, the APC, instead of brandishing Binani’s name to attract patronage,” Yunusa said.

Making reference to a recent speculation that a political group had abandoned her, Yunusa said the story was a shameful desperation of some political merchants seeking to detract from Binani’s popularity. 

Also recalling a rumour alleging that Binani had left the APC, Yunusa said the rumour is a presumptive opinion of the rumour pedlers.

He stressed that Binani remains in the APC and is loved by the people because she is “a grassroot politician whose empathy, philanthropy and timely intervention in the situation of the downtrodden has endeared her to the people.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for Adamawa State in the 2023 elections, Senator Aishatu Ahmed (Binani), has dismissed rumours suggesting her departure from the party.  

Speaking at an event organised by her support group, “Gladiators for Binani Only”, in Yola on Sunday, Binani reaffirmed her loyalty to the APC. 

Represented by Mijinyawa Kugama at the event, she debunked claims that she and her supporters had defected.  

“We have not left the party. We are founding members of the APC, and no force, not even Jupiter, can compel us to abandon it,” she stated, expressing gratitude to her supporters for their unwavering commitment during the 2023 elections and beyond.  

Umar Mustapha, a prominent Adamawa politician and Binani ally, highlighted the importance of the “Gladiators for Binani Only” group in fostering unity across the state’s diverse ethnic communities.

Read Also: Flood: Jaiz Bank, Binani, Ahmadu Bello Foundation donate N100m, N50m, N20m

He described the group as a strategic platform to build momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections as the APC seeks to reclaim Adamawa State.  

Himaga Yayirus, founder and state coordinator of the group, reiterated their commitment to ensuring APC’s victory in 2027. 

He lauded Binani’s focus on poverty alleviation and empowerment of the less privileged as core pillars of her political ideology.  

During the event, the group inaugurated key executives, including Maryam Waziri as Secretary and Rhoda Nuhu as Women Leader, among others, to drive its mission forward.

• Apex court berates suspended REC for ‘act of irresponsibility and criminality’

• Governor waves olive branch

• PDP, Atiku congratulate Adamawa governor

The Supreme Court yesterday affirmed the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in Adamawa State in the March 18, 2023 governorship election, Adamu Fintiri, as duly elected governor.

The apex court berated the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, Hudu Yunusa Ari, for declaring the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru (Binani), winner of the election.

It said Ari’s announcement of the election result before the outcome of the supplementary election “was an act of irresponsibility and criminality”.

The Supreme Court urged election stakeholders to ensure that only persons with dignity and integrity, who are not “bulls in a China shop” are appointed to handle election matters.

In its lead judgment on the appeal filed by Aishatu and the APC seeking to void Fintiri’s victory, a five-member panel of the apex court, presided over by Justice John Okoro, was unanimous in dismissing the appeal.

In the lead judgment, Justice Okoro held that the appellants failed to prove their claims that they won the election and that it was marred by non-compliance with the Electoral Act and the Constitution, among others.

He held that as was rightly held by the Court of Appeal in its earlier judgment on the case, “Section 149 of the Electoral Act only validates action legally made by an official of INEC.

“It does not validate any action taken by an official of the commission, which is contrary to the Constitution and the Electoral Act or rules made thereto to cover the conduct of the election.

Read Also; How currency redesign, electoral uncertainties affected 2023 revenue, by Customs CG

“Section 149 of the Electoral Act will only apply if the action taken is in accordance or in compliance with the provisions of the Constitution or the Electoral Act.”

Also, reacting to his triumph at the apex court, Fintiri urged his opponents to work with his administration to take Adamawa State to greater heights.

Addressing reporters in Abuja, the governor thanked the people of Adamawa State for standing by him from tribunal to the Supreme Court.

He said the judgment had spurred him to do more for the state and urged opposition leaders and all other citizens of the state to join him.

Also, the PDP and its presidential candidate in last year’s general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have congratulated Fintiri on his victory at the Supreme Court.

“Congratulations to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, whose victory in the March 2023 governorship election has been affirmed by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“This, again, is a victory for the PDP family and for democracy in our country,” Atiku stated in a tweet posted on his X handle.

In a statement by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Debo Ologunagba, the party said: “The judgment of the Supreme Court, the highest and final court in the country, serves as an iron-cast stamp in validating the triumph of the expressed will of the people in resisting various attempts by undemocratic and anti-people forces to subvert the electoral process and illegally take over control of the state.

“The spur-of-the-moment celebration across Adamawa State and other states of the federation at the news of the Supreme Court judgment clearly shows that the verdict is in line with the expectation of Nigerians and particularly the people of Adamawa State in their quest to sustain transparent, development-driven and people-oriented leadership as epitomized in Governor Fintiri and the PDP.”