Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to do the right thing by declaring the authentic winner of the governorship election in Adamawa State.
A mild drama played out on Sunday at the Adamawa State Collation Centre in Yola when the State Resident Electoral Commissioner Hudu Yunusa Ari controversially declared Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the polls, a move that was not within his constitutionally given authority.
The action has since been condemned by many political parties, concerned Nigerians as well as Civil Society Organisations, with many calling for Ari’s arrest. The situation forced INEC to suspend the collation and ordered Ari to stay away from all activities of the electoral umpire and the election in Adamawa.
A day after the incident, Governor Makinde met with his Adamawa counterpart Governor Umaru Fintiri when he paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House in Yola.
Makinde said the illegal declaration of the APC candidate as the winner of the election is unimaginable and a shame on the person of Ari.
He applauded INEC for a job well done in Oyo State and expressed confidence that the electoral umpire will prove its neutrality in the Adamawa process as the whole world is watching.
The governor also urged the people of Adamawa state to remain calm and assured that the current situation will be resolved amicably.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, under the leadership of Aminu Tambuwal has strongly condemned what it described as a show of shame in the North-Eastern State.
The Forum in a statement on Monday by its spokesman Hon. C.I.D. Maduabum commended the “immediate steps taken by the INEC as an institution to recover its battered image by nullifying the attempted coup and suspending the REC”.
He, however, said the appropriate Returning Officer Mele Lamido should immediately conclude the collation and declare the result.
“One of the most important lessons of this election season is that the integrity of INEC personnel is crucial to free, fair, and credible elections as well as the deployment of technology,” the PDP governors said.
“Going forward, there should be a deliberate process of revisiting the appointments of National and Resident Electoral Commissioners to weed out corrupt and extremely partisan officials. It is the partisan method of appointment of these officials that led to national disgrace in Adamawa State.”
