When Will Suspended Adamawa REC, Others Be Prosecuted?

Notes for File

More than six weeks after the suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa-Ari, allegedly usurped the power of the state Returning Officer for the April 15 supplementary governorship poll in the state, Prof. Mohammed Mele, the police have not arraigned Ari and other indicted officials, including security chiefs.

In what was viewed as an electoral coup, Yunusa-Ari had on Sunday, April 16 usurped the power of the Returning Officer and declared the governorship candidate of the APC, Senator Aishatu Dahiru, better known as Binani, as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship election without waiting for the collation of the results to be concluded.

Before the announcement, Binani was clearly losing the election to the Adamawa State Governor and candidate of the PDP, Ahmadu Fintiri.

Again, only the Returning Officer is empowered by law to declare the results of a governorship election and not the REC.

The suspended REC had stormed the collation venue with the Commissioner of Police on election duty in the state, Mohammed Barde, and made the unconstitutional announcement that was not backed by any result. 

After going into hiding, he later surrendered to the police and was quizzed at the Force Headquarters with his passport allegedly seized, as part of preconditions for his administrative bail.

There were also reports that he was restricted to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) after a senator allegedly stood surety for him.

But since Yunusa-Ari and other indicted officials were released on administrative bail, the police have not prosecuted them to serve as a deterrent to other enemies of democracy.

Also, some of the top security and police chiefs who provided cover for him during the illegal announcement have since returned to their duty posts.

This development has lent credence to the claim that an influential political leader from the North-east, who was allegedly behind the Adamawa coup, has killed the case.

Many have alleged that the authorities are waiting for Nigerians to forget the incident so that they will bury the case permanently.

Governor Fintiri, who eventually won the election should put pressure on the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to prosecute Ari and all the security chiefs involved.

Political leaders who encourage acts that threaten Nigeria’s democracy should be reminded that they will be the greatest losers if democracy is truncated.