HUDU ARI AND THE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION

The Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Ari stirred the hornet’s nest during the just concluded supplementary election conducted on 15 April.  Ari controversially declared Aisha Dahiru Binani of APC as the winner of the election when collation of the results was ongoing. It took the intervention of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters, Abuja, to douse the tension that would have snowballed to political crisis in Adamawa State. The National headquarters described Ari’s action as null and void and usurpation of the returning officer’s duty. It later invited the REC to Abuja and subsequently ordered him to stay away from Adamawa State supplementary election. Since Ari’s false declaration of the result, many political pundits have continued to question the rationale behind his actions. The questions begging for answers are: Did Ari receive an order from above to declarare Binani winner of the election? Was he financially induced to make such unconstitutional and illegal declaration? Interestingly, INEC calls for Ari’s investigation will reveal the truth of the matter sooner than later.

  With the various reforms INEC is undergoing in order to conduct free, fair and credible elections in the country, the likes of Ari are living in the moon to contemplate tampering with elections result. Hudu Ari who is a lawyer must have known the electoral laws and what his actions constituted. His declaration joke has come at a time when opposition parties expressed doubts about the outcome of the last presidential election in which Bola Ahmed Tinubu, won. Both Atiku Abubakar of PDP and Peter Obi of LP who rejected the result have taken their case to election tribunal. Little wonder, the leadership of the electoral umpire swiftly countered Ari’s rude behavior in order to save its name. The unprofessionalism displayed by the former Adamawa REC should serve as a wake-up call to INEC to continue to monitor its officers. Some of its officers can compromise the system in anticipation of financial rewards.

   The appointment of resident electoral commissioners RECs) rests on the shoulder of Mr President. The next president should appoint commissioners who are respectable, people without questionable character. There is the need to flush out the likes of Ari in INEC. Since 2015, the conduct of election has changed in the country. Whoever wants to drag us back to old INEC in which peoples’ mandates are sold to the highest bidders should not have a place in the commission. Election is a serious business. People with dubious character should not be allowed to supervise elections. The action of Ari has nearly eroded the gains recorded by INEC in the last election. Let us have a credible electoral umpire.

 Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna State