It had all the trappings of a failed coup though no shots were fired. Desperate civilians attempted to subvert democracy and by design undermine the aspiration and will of the electorates in Adamawa state. They failed and the roll of dishonour is being compiled for posterity. The Governorship Election was first declared inconclusive on March
It had all the trappings of a failed coup though no shots were fired. Desperate civilians attempted to subvert democracy and by design undermine the aspiration and will of the electorates in Adamawa state. They failed and the roll of dishonour is being compiled for posterity.
The Governorship Election was first declared inconclusive on March 15th, this year when the margin of vote difference between the leading candidate and his first runner-up, was lower than cancelled votes and votes in polling units where the election could not hold.
The Adamawa state Governorship Election was declared inconclusive as election in 69 polling units in Fufore Local Government Area which affected 37,016 potential voters were cancelled. So, the parties again, went to the field to canvas for votes.
At the time the election was declared inconclusive, the incumbent governor and candidate of the PDP Alhaji .. Fintiri had scored 421,524 votes while the APC candidate, Senator. Aishat Dahiru aka Binani polled 390,275 votes.
It was insinuated in some quarters that the Adamawa contest was a proxy war between the leading candidates in the last presidential election, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the APC and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP. The Adamawa Governorship candidates have direct links to both presidential candidates. In fact, Adamawa is the home-state of Alhaji Atiku and it would seen as disgraceful that he could not win his home-state.
Both parties , the APC and PDP, were also in a race to increase the number of states they have won so far and so the stakes were high.
April 15, was the appointed date for the supplementary election in the 69 polling units and everything went on smoothly and when results started trickling in, the PDP candidate was having an early lead. When results from some polling units could not arrive at the Collation Centre, the state Collation Officer and the Returning Officer, Prof. Muhammed Mele Lamido, announced a postponement of Collation at 10:00am the following day.
Staging the Civilian Coup
But, there were unknown plans by enemies of democracy to subvert the process. Before the appointed time, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Adamawa state, Mr. Hudu Yunusa-Ari, Esq. in the presence of the Commissioner of Police Election duties and some top security agents, seized the occasion and singlehandedly and illegally announced a winner in the election without any breakdown of results.
That was a coup plot poorly executed. Some party agents would have none of this. They appealed to the REC not to toe that path of ignominy. For minutes, they were appealing to his conscience; reminding him that this is a period of Ramadan for Muslims and he should not be seen doing something illegal. The REC who was also replying the agents, as if stung by a poisonous spider sprang up and declared Senator Aishat Dahiru Binani of the APC as the winner of the election.
Bedlam! The Police officers on the high-table suddenly got up and started to leave the venue as if to say that mission had been accomplished. The REC was the last to leave and one of the Collation Agents grabbed his cloth, the electoral officer escaped by the whiskers.
Seeking Court Validation for Illegal Act
To consolidate her pyrrhic victory, Senator BInani, as an accomplice, proceeded to the NTA station to read a prepared acceptance speech, thanking the people of Adamawa State for electing her and referencing the significance of her success as the first female governor in Nigeria and its importance to the girl-child especially in the northern part of the country.
Following in the mantra of ‘go to court’ as often told the aggrieved, Senator Binani approached a High Court in Abuja, seeking a judicial endorsement to stop INEC from voiding her declaration as the “winner” of the governorship poll as announced by Yunusa-Ari. The Court read through the lines and wanted her to explain the issue of jurisdiction.
On Tuesday, the Federal High Court, Abuja, refused to hear her ex-parte motion on the elections. The court temporarily declined to hear the motion over issue bordering on jurisdiction. Justice Inyang Ekwo, instead, ordered the APC candidate’s counsel, Mohammed Sheriff, to address the court on the issue of jurisdiction before hearing the substantive motion.
But her declaration was like building a mansion without foundation with a spittle. The electoral law does not empower RECs to collate and announce election results in the states; that is the job of the Returning Officer. Sections 77, 78 and 79 of the Regulations & Guidelines For The Conduct of Elections,2022 is clear on the role of the State Collation Officer and the REC.
Section 66 of the Electoral Act 2022 states that:”…shall be declared elected by the appreciate returning officer.”
So, to a good number of reasonable Nigerians, what Yunusa-Ari did was brazen, illegal and it could only have been inspired by an animal boldness of the worst kind.
The electoral heist was not allowed to gain ground before the headquarters of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ,the electoral umpire in Abuja issued a statement declaring the REC’s action illegal, unconstitutional,null and void and of no effect. He was summoned to Abuja immediately on Sunday.
Two days later, on Tuesday, the electoral body held a crucial meeting and discussed matters arising from the Adamawa Governorship election and decided to:
1. Write to the Inspector-General of Police for the immediate investigation and possible prosecution of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Adamawa State, Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari.
2. Request the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to draw the attention of the appointing authority to the unwholesome behaviour of the REC for further action.The collation process shall resume at a time to be determined by the Returning Officer.
The Police authority also felt scandalized. The Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, on Tuesday ordered the removal of the Commissioner of Police on election duty in Adamawa State, Mohammed Barde, over his alleged role in the illegal declaration of the APC candidate, Aisha Dahiru, as the winner of the state governorship election on Sunday.
Police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi who disclosed this said the IGP has directed the Gombe State Police Commissioner, Etim Equa, to proceed to take charge.
Mr Barde and other security chiefs were present at the collation centre when the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Hudu Ari, declared Mrs Dahiru, popularly called Binani, as winner of the governorship poll.
On Tuesday, the Returning Officer, Prof. Melee, declared incumbent Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party winner after polling 430,861 votes to defeat his major opponent, Aisha Binani of the All Progressives Congress who polled 398,788.
The swift reaction of the electoral umpire, the police and appeal by the political class in Adamawa to the electorates calmed all frayed nerves and prevented what could have been a successful civilian coup in Adamawa state.
