Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has taken disciplinary action against one of its Resident Electoral Commissioners, Barr Hudu Yunusa Ari, for making a controversial announcement during the gubernatorial election in Adamawa State.
Barr Ari had declared Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the polls, which was outside his constitutional authority.
This announcement caused widespread tension within the state and sparked national debate, with many calling for accountability and transparency in Nigeria’s electoral process.
In response, INEC has directed Barr Ari to stay away from all activities of the electoral umpire and the election in Adamawa State.
The commission has also declared the announcement of Binani as the “winner” of the Adamawa governor election “null and void,” stating that the pronouncement is of no effect.
Barr Ari’s actions were deemed to be an “usurpation” of the Returning Officer’s office, and he committed a second error by announcing the results of an election whose collation process had not been concluded.
In a statement, INEC reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria, and warned that it would not hesitate to take action against any of its officials who undermine the integrity of the electoral process.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
