Sacked Adamawa REC, Insists APC’s Binani, Won 2023 Governorship Election

By Adesina Soyooye

The embattled, and now sacked former Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner during the 2023 Governorship Election,  Hudi Ari, a Lawyer, has insisted that he did no wrong and the controversial result which he announced was authentic.

Ari had caused confusion and controversy and protests when he  unilaterally, announced the Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Aisha Binani, as the winner of the Governorship election. But incumbent Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, and his Political Party, the Peoples Democratic Party, screamed blue murder. They said not only was counting of votes still ongoing, Governor Fintiri was comfortably in the lead. More important, it was not Ari’s job to announce the result. An embarrassed National Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, put a lie to the result declared by Ari, and invited him to Abuja for briefing. It was an invitation Ari did not keep, as he made a disappearing act. When the result was finally declared, Fintiri was the winner.

Later, INEC suspended Ari, an action that was endorsed by then President Muhammadu Buhari.

On her part, Binani proceeded to challenge her loss at the Election Tribunal and Courts. She gave up when she, finally, lost at the  Supreme Court.

Last week, President Bola Tinubu sacked Ari, along with two others. But in a swift and defiance  response, Ari insisted that he did no wrong; that he has  enough evidence to support the result he declared; that he was not given the opportunity to present his case either at the Tribunal or in the Courts, or even before INEC; that all the letters he wrote were ignored; and that he stands by the result he declared that Binani was the rightful winner of the Governorship election.

On his dismissal by President Tinubu, he waxed philosophical and  noted that it was not a problem to him, but reminded all concerned parties about the last day.

Ari: “The dismissal is not my problem. The civil service is governed by civil service rules, procedures, and services. In law, there is what we call the golden rule of natural justice which says that you must be heard. Even God will never punish anybody without sending the messages, the prophets, and the scriptures.

“The refusal of INEC to collect my letters and then the Tribunal said they are not using my evidence. Even as an ordinary judge, what do you say to that?”

With a copy of the Holy Quran in one hand, Ari said:

“Wallahi, whatever I do, I do it within the bounds of the Quran. We have to remember the last day.”

Insisting he has no regrets for declaring Binani winner, he said given same circumstances, he would still do the same. He accused some INEC staff of compromise, and revealed that some of them were, also, beaten physically. Ari described himself as a victim of  Media trial.

He, however, hinted that his dismissal may not go unchallenged as he was consulting with family and friends for the way forward.