Adamawa: Confusion as REC declares Aisha Binani winner, INEC suspends results collation
There was confusion in Adamawa state on Sunday, April 16, 2023, as INEC REC declared Senator Aishatu ‘Binani’ Dahiru Ahmed as winner of the supplementary poll and elected governor of the state.
The declaration which was opposed by party agents has now been declared null, void and of no effect by INEC, which said the election process has clearly not been concluded before the declaration of winner.
INEC in its reaction described the REC’s action as “usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer. It is null, void and of no effect.”
A statement by Festus Okoye, INEC’s National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, said “the collation of results of the supplementary election is hereby suspended.
“The REC, Returning Officer and all involved are hereby invited to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja immediately.”
Senator Binani’s quest to make history as Nigeria’s first elected female governor is facing a strong opposition from the incumbent Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa state.
After days of tension and controversies, INEC had declared the March 18 governorship election in the state inconclusive due to the margin of votes between Fintiri and Binani, which was less than cancelled votes.
INEC fixed April 15 for a supplementary poll to decide the winner. Reports in the early hours of Sunday indicated that Fintiri was leading with results announced from 10 local government areas. In a rare turn of events, the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa, declared Binani winner, against the standard practice where results and winners are announced by the Returning Officers who are Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities appointed by INEC’s National Office in Abuja To oversee the election process at the state level.
