Adamawa Election: PDP demands immediate declaration of results

The Peoples Democratic Party, or PDP, has demanded that the results of the governorship election in Adamawa State be announced right away.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, delayed the results’ collation and announcement indefinitely in response to Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari’s contentious declaration that it was against the electoral body’s rules.

While collation was still going on, Ari declared Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed the winner, which was the Returning Officer’s exclusive responsibility after collation.

PDP in a statement by Acting National Chairman, Umar Iliya Damagumon on Tuesday described the action of the REC as “a reckless, inexcusable and unpardonable assault on our Democracy, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC Guidelines and the manifest Will of the people of Adamawa State, which they expressed in voting enmasse for the PDP.”

It reads further: “This action by Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari amounts to a “Civilian Coup” with the intention to take control and install an illegal government in Adamawa State contrary to the provision of Section 1 Sub-section 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic Nigeria 1999 (as amended). For clarity Section 1 Sub-section 2 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides; “The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall not be governed, nor shall any person or group of persons take control of the government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution”.

“The PDP insists that such subversive conduct of Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari must not go unpunished. We restate our demand that INEC should without further delay hand over Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari to the police for investigation and prosecution. The Inspector General of Police should, as a matter of urgency, remove, investigate and sanction the Adamawa State Commissioner of Police for providing cover and enabling the perpetration of this grievous criminal act against our democracy.

“The PDP, majority of Nigerians and indeed the International Community are now worried that in spite of the results of the election as obtained from the Polling Units, which show Governor Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri in clear lead, INEC has continued to delay the conclusion of official collation, announcement and declaration of the rightful winner of the election. This continuing delay is heightening tension in Adamawa State and is capable of triggering a serious breakdown of Law and Order in the State, which is already overstretched as a result of the many perverse activities of the heavily compromised Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mallam Hudu Yunusa Ari.

“It is therefore imperative and urgent that INEC does the needful and save Adamawa State from serious crisis by directing the Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Mele, to immediately conclude collation, declare the final results and return the rightful winner, Governor Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri as the duly elected Governor of Adamawa State.” It concluded

In a related development, the APC candidate, Ahmed has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja for an order to halt further action on the ongoing governorship election in the State.

In the application ex-parte application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/510/2023, Senator Aisha, applied for leave of the court to allow her to seek “an order of prohibition and certiorari removing to this court for the purpose of being set aside the administrative decision of the 1st Respondent made on 16th April 2023 in respect of the declaration of the winner from the gubernatorial election of Adamawa State held on the 18th of March, 2023 and the supplementary election held on 15th April 2023.”

As well as an order of the court, “preventing the 1st Respondent, its agent, assign or any person acting on its behalf from taking any further steps towards the declaration of the winner from the gubernatorial election of Adamawa State held on the 18th of March and the supplementary election held on 15th April 2023, pending the determination of the application for judicial review”.

In contrast to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the Peoples Democratic Party, and its candidate/current governor of the state, Ahmadu Fintiri, the APC was listed as the 2nd Applicant in the lawsuit that was filed by a group of attorneys led by Hussain Zajariyau, SAN.