Police Arrest Fleeing Ari, Interrogate Other Indicted Officials

•I’ve no regret announcing Binani as gov-elect, says suspended REC

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Nigeria Police, yesterday, confirmed the arrest of the fleeing Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa-Ari, who circumvented the electoral process during last month’s supplementary election in the Adamawa State governorship election.

But Ari has said he never regretted announcing Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2023 governorship election in the state.

Yunusa-Ari, had last month announced Binani, the winner of the Adamawa governorship election while the collation of results was ongoing.

A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer and Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the REC was in police custody.

“The Nigeria Police Force hereby confirms the arrest of Barr. Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), who was alleged to have announced the candidate of the All Progressives Congress winner of the gubernatorial elections during the recently concluded supplementary elections following calls for his arrest and investigation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the basis of alleged impropriety in the course of supplementary gubernatorial polls in the State.

“Barrister Ari, who was arrested by the Police Election Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Team in Abuja on Tuesday 2nd May, 2023, is currently in police custody and is being grilled to ascertain the motives and motivations behind his alleged improper actions during the supplementary elections in Adamawa State.

“In addition, other officials and individuals culpable in the saga are being interrogated by the team,” he said.

The statement stated that the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, assured the people that every individual involved/indicted in the matter would be apprehended and investigated in line with the provisions of the law for possible prosecution.

“The Inspector-General of Police has assured of the commitment of the force to ensuring that justice is served in this case and that all guilty parties are brought to justice,” he said.

This nonetheless, the suspended REC, who had vowed to turn himself to the police before his eventual arrest, since there was summons on him to report to the police, insisted that he acted within the tenants of the law and that the APC governorship candidate won the election.

Ari, who stated this in an interview with BBC Hausa, asserted that he acted within the confines of relevant laws before declaring the APC candidate as the governor-elect before his decision was declared null and void by the national arm of the electoral body in Abuja.

The suspended REC had courted controversy after the supplementary election in Adamawa State on April 15, 2023 when he announced Binani as winner of the poll while collation of results was ongoing.

The situation prompted INEC to nullify Ari’s decision and suspended him while President Muhammad Buhari also ordered full investigation on the electoral commissioner and the security personnel that were around him when he made the declaration.

INEC subsequently concluded the election and announced the incumbent governor, Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the authentic winner of the drama-filled poll.

Security agencies had also been ordered to arrest and prosecute the embattled REC whose whereabouts was hitherto unknown since the controversy started over two weeks ago.

But, speaking from hiding with the BBC Hausa, Ari said, “I never demanded any gratification from either of Binani or Fintiri. None of the duo sent anything to me; if they have done so by now they will be demanding their monies back.”

On why he announced Binani as “winner” in the first instance, Ari said, “Votes polled by candidates were disclosed, I don’t have the papers with me here but both in the main and supplementary elections, Binani scored 428,173 while Fintiri got 422, 303 votes.

“I have no regrets at all as I acted under the law; it is the law that warranted what I did and it shall absolve me. I will surely turn myself into the police. Before, there was no summon from the police but now there is one. I will soon come out from hiding,” the embattled REC stated.