Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party have called for an overhaul of the process for the appointment of Resident Electoral Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission....CONTINUE READING
The position of the Governors followed the development in the Adamawa State governorship election over the weekend….CONTINUE READING
It will be recalled that the REC in Adamawa State, Yunusa Ari, had on Sunday unilaterally declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Aisha Dahiru Ahmed, popularly known as Binani, the winner of the poll.
This was despite the fact that it was not his duty but that of the Returning Officer to do so according to established procedure, and that the collation of result was still on, with only 10 out of the state’s 20 local government areas already done.
As at the time Ari made the declaration, the incumbent and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmadu Fintiri, was leading.
Reacting to the development in a statement by its Director-General, Cyril Maduabum, the PDP Governors Forum said: “There should be a deliberate process of revisiting the appointments of national and resident electoral commissioners to weed out corrupt and extremely partisan officials.
“It is the partisan method of appointment of these officials that led to the national disgrace in Adamawa State.
“The attempted electoral heist and brigandage perpetrated by the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Hudu Yunusa, is perhaps the lowest point of the 2023 general elections.
“We commend the immediate steps taken by the INEC as an institution to recover its battered image by nullifying the attempted coup and suspending the REC.
“The appropriate returning officer, Mohammed Mele, should immediately conclude the collation and declare the result.
“One of the most important lessons of this election season is that the integrity of INEC personnel is crucial to free, fair, and credible elections as well as deployment of technology.
“Appropriate sanctions, including prosecution of all those involved, especially the former Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Hudu Yunusa, should be swiftly commenced to serve as an example to others.
“We enjoin all Nigerians to be on alert as we brace up to emerging threats to our democracy and the struggle for good governance in Nigeria….CONTINUE READING
