Fintiri didn’t win Adamawa governorship election, Ex-REC insists
The former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, has insisted that Governor Ahmadu Fintiri did not win the 2023 governorship election in the state.
According to him, the election was cleanly won by Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
He told some selected journalists in Bauchi that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and the Election Tribunal deliberately ignored the facts.
Yunusa-Ari said he and other officials were pressured to declare Fintiri the winner under threats to their security.
The former REC, who swore by the Holy Qur’an, said that he acted in good faith and followed electoral guidelines.
He alleged that INEC’s ICT head in Adamawa, Bala Aji, compromised the election and handed over 20,000 sensitive election documents to Governor Fintiri, which were found in a private house linked to the governor, with top government officials manipulating the result.
Yunusa-Ari also alleged that Aji, in a blatant abuse of office, distributed BVAS machines and bribed INEC staff with foreign currency on election day.
He lamented that the reports he forwarded to INEC headquarters exposing those violations were ignored.
“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?”
Ari insisted that he had substantial evidence to support his position but was never invited to present his case.
He displayed documents he claimed were authentic result sheets, along with letters he sent to INEC.
“They should have acted immediately, but my report was swept under the carpet. This is one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life.”
Dismissing allegations of receiving a N2 billion bribe, Yunusa-Ari said he is consulting his family on his next steps, stating that the media trial has severely damaged his reputation.
Yunusa-Ari was suspended on April 17, 2023, after he declared Aisha Binani, the APC governorship candidate, as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship rerun election.
However, INEC swiftly nullified the declaration, and was immediately suspended and later arraigned before the Adamawa State High Court for unprofessional conduct. The case is still pending.
