Adamawa: How Nigeria Dodged A Bullet, Rescued From Anarchy

By Adesina Soyooye

The much maligned Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Tuesday, helped Nigeria to dodge a bullet. By doing so, it also saved the Country  from a would- have-been anarchy and a descent into the abyss.

Those are the opinions held by the Governors’ Forum of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in reaction to the hard fought victory of the Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, in the just concluded Governorship Election in the State.

Confusion and protests had engulfed the State after the Governorship supplementary polls on 15, April 2023.  It was between the incumbent Governor Fintiri of the PDP, and the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Aishatu Dahiru Binani.

At the end of voting, while collation was still going on in Local Government Areas, and Fintiri leading comfortably, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Hudu Yunusa Ari, inexplicably declared Binani the winner, and so, the Governor-elect. By doing so. Ari, a Lawyer, set the tone for the controversy and confusion and protests which led to his being  manhandled. A Security Officer of the Department of State Security, DSS, was also manhandled.

Aside from the fact that collation of votes was still ongoing, it was not Ari’s duty to announce the result. He usurped the job of the Returning Officer, Professor  Muhammed Mele, the only person, authorized by law, to announce the result.

Embarrassed by the incident which triggered a massive protest in Yola, capital of Adamawa State, and strong condemnations from groups and individuals, INEC rightly declared as null, void and of no effect,  the declaration of Binani as the Governor-elect. It also invited both Ari and Mele to Abuja, and ended up inviting the Police to arrest Ari, who has been suspended from office.

On Tuesday, Professor Mele, finally, declared Fintiri, the winner and Governor-elect. According to INEC, he defeated Binani by scoring 430,861 number of votes against Binani’s 396,788 votes.

The PDP Governorship Forum, in a statement signed by its Director-General, Hon. CID Maduabum, dated 18, April, 2023, while congratulating Fintiri, also commended INEC. It said the victory belongs to Democracy. It said INEC, by standing firm, and redeeming itself, should  toe same path  “to promptly re-visit all other elections where infractions have been identified.”

Following is the full text of the statement.

“The PDP Governors’ Forum congratulates Gov. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri on his re-election as the Governor of Adamawa State.

“It was a hard fought and hard won victory not just for Gov. Fintiri, but also for Adamawa State, democracy and due process in Nigeria.

“Indeed, Nigeria has just been rescued from descent into the abyss. We have just dodged another bullet.

“We commend INEC for redeeming itself and hopes that this is a harbinger of things to come. It is in this regard that the Commission is requested to promptly re-visit all other elections where infractions have been identified. Where the matters have been taken to the Tribunal, INEC should assume a garb and toga of neutrality and inform the Tribunals of the actual events that transpired in the elections.

“It has been shown by today’s (Tuesday’s) development that INEC can reverse itself where mistakes have been made.

“We call on Gov. Fintiri to continue to justify this huge mandate and trust of the people of Adamawa State.”