BREAKING: Controversy as REC declares APC’s Binani winner of Adamawa guber poll

Yunusa Ari, the resident electoral commissioner of theIndependent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Adamawa, has stokedcontroversy in the state’s governorship election.

Around 9am on Sunday morning, the INEC REC announced Aisha‘Binani’ Dahiru, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as thewinner of the election.

His announcement elicited protests from members of thePeoples Democratic Party (PDP) present at the state collation centre in Yola.

Before the collation exercise was suspended on Saturdaynight, results from 10 LGAs had been announced — and Binani was trailing AhmaduFintiri, the incumbent governor and PDP candidate.

The collation of results from the remaining 10 LGAs wasexpected to commence by 11am on Sunday.

Mele Lamido, the returning officer for the Adamawagovernorship election, was not present when Ari announced Binani as the winnerof the election.

Lamido is empowered by law to declare the winner of theelection.

Yiaga Africa, a civil society organisation, has describedthe declaration as illegal, saying it is against the guidelines of theElectoral Act.

“We’ve received reports of an illegal declaration of resultsby the @inecnigeria REC for #Adamawa in violation of S 64 & 65 ElectoralAct 2022 & Part 3, INEC guidelines which vests the power to declare resultssolely on a Returning officer appointed by INEC,” Yiaga Africa said.

“We call on @inecnigeria to nullify the illegal declaration,suspend the REC for Adamawa state and take urgent actions to protect theintegrity of the process.”