The recently sacked Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State, Mr. Hudu Ari,has insisted that he has enough evidence that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Aisha Binani defeated Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He said, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmud Yakubu and the Election Tribunal dismissed all his evidence against the irregularities in the controversial governorship election.
Ari was suspended by former President Muhammadu Buhari for unlawfully declaring a governorship election result in Adamawa state.Ari’s sack was part of a broader move by the Senate, which also terminated the appointments of two other RECs.
Mr Ari, who stated this while addressing journalists at his residence in Bauchi, said there was pressure on him and other officials of the Commission to declare the incumbent Fintiri else his security could not be guaranteed, swearing with the Quran that he was not involved in any bribery or electoral misconduct.
“It came to my notice that my ICT head, Bala Aji, conducted himself, not in the manner of a good civil servant, or an honest civil servant, as far as the elections were concerned. He surrendered election documents, about 20,000 copies, to the Governor of Adamawa State.
“We received a report, myself, the Commissioner of Police, and all the paramilitary agencies operating in Adamawa State. We went to that place, it’s a private house of the governor. We went there, it took us time to open that door. The door was opened, we met the SSG and some government officials.
“We met them working directly, directly with these documents. These documents cover the whole of the State. So, we wrote a report. This is what is happening. And not only that, Bala Aji (ICT Head of INEC in Adamawa) misappropriated some of our papers. He took them somewhere, and the worst of it, on the day of the election.
“Bala Aji, the ICT head, was busy dashing away BVAS. He was giving our staff money in foreign currency. The thought came to me, I was shocked. To me, it’s an abuse of his own responsibility. So, I called him, I took strides against all that had happened, all the allegations against him. So, I expected the headquarters to respond quickly.
“They should have acted on those vote buying. So, they should have immediately come in and let us know about it. It would be the next line of action. Unfortunately, the report that I had sent (to INEC HQs) was swept under the carpets. This is one of the most unforgettable experiences I have ever had,” he said.
He expressed disappointment that his evidence against the irregularities in the controversial governorship election was dismissed by both the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),
He debunked the allegation that he collected N2 billion as bribe to manipulate the election result during the 2023 governorship election in the state.
He said that his sack by the President did not bother him, but the media trial has damaged his image.
