2023 Elections
Yunusa-Ari, Adamawa REC Opens Up: “I Don’t Regret Announcing Binani Winner of Election”
The suspended resident electoral commissioner in Adamawa, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, claims he has no regrets about declaring Aisha Binani the victor of the state’s governorship election on April 15.
When the results were still being tallied, Yunusa-Ari caused controversy by announcing Aisha Binani Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner.
The announcement was deemed invalid by the Independent National Electoral Commission, which also called the REC to appear at its Abuja headquarters.
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The election umpire then sent a letter to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) requesting that Yunusa-Ari be prosecuted for the electoral breach.
The Adamawa REC has been suspended awaiting the conclusion of the police probe, with President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval.
A day later, INEC declared that it was unaware of Yunusa-Ari’s location.
Yunusa-Ari claimed in an interview with BBC Hausa that no one had paid him to make the declaration. The interview was published on Tuesday.
The REC who was suspended asserted that he never went into hiding and added that he would accept the police’s invitation.
“I didn’t ask Binani and Fintiri for a single penny. It is against my religion to collect money from someone to help him do anything and I swear to God, claims that I was offered N2 billion are just baseless allegations and rumours,” Yunusa-Ari said.
“Where will I take N2 billion to? I saw it on social media that I was offered N2 billion.
“I don’t regret announcing Binani winner of the election. Anything you do according to the law, you won’t regret it.
“I wrote a letter to INEC which they said they won’t accept — but I’m sure they’ve accepted and the invitation sent by the police is mandatory for me to honour it.
“I never went into hiding. I will honour the invitation of the police.”
