The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday told the dismissed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa Ari, to prove his innocence at a competent court of law. where is being tried for allegedly upsetting the electoral process during the 2023 governorship election in the state.
Ari, who INEC is currently prosecuting for alleged electoral offences, told reporters at the weekend in Bauchi that he had evidence that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (popularly called Binani) won the governorship election in Adamawa State.
The former REC had declared Binani winner of the election when the rerun was still going on. He left the state, claiming that his life was in danger.
But INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olimekun, told The Nation that the commission would not comment on Ari’s allegations because his case is currently in the court.
Olimekun said: “In response to your request, our attention has also been drawn to the interview granted by the former REC of Adamawa State, Mr. Hudu Yunusa Ari. There is nothing new in what he said.
“In any case, the substantive matter of the 2023 Adamawa State governorship election has been determined through the appropriate judicial process from the trial tribunal to the appeal tribunal and finally settled by the Supreme Court.
“The commission will not comment on the propriety or otherwise of his conduct during the concluding part of the election, as the matter is right now the subject of litigation at the High Court sitting in Yola and, therefore, sub judice.
“Now that he is back in the country, the right place to prove his innocence and the propriety of his action is by availing himself the due process of law and not a press conference.”
The Senate recently approved President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request to sack Ari and two other RECs.