Atiku wants Adamawa resident electoral commissioner Yunusa-Ari arrested and prosecuted

FORMER vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Adamawa State resident electoral commissioner Barrister Hudu Yunusa-Ari for announcing am un unsanctioned result during the recent governorship elections.

Over the weekend, Mr Yunusa-Ari’s declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Senator Aisha Dahiru, popularly known as Binani, as the Adamawa State governor-elect, following Saturday’s supplementary election. He did so while the votes were still being counted despite the fact that he was not legally empowered to do so, as this was the job of the returning officer.

Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) has since disassociated itself from the pronouncement and Mr Yunusa-Ari has been asked to stay away from its Yola headquarters in Adamawa State.  Adding his voice to the condemnation, Alhaji Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the elections, demanded that Mr Yunusa-Ari and other parties involved in the voided declaration should be arrested and prosecuted in order to serve as a deterrent to anti-democratic forces.

Prior to her being declared the winner, Senator Binani was trailing behind Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the PDP, who had maintained a margin of 31,249 votes. Governor Fintiri had scored 421, 524 votes ahead of Senator Binani, who polled 390, 275 votes before Saturday’s supplementary poll.

With 10 local government areas collated, the exercise was adjourned until 11 am on Sunday but as early as 9am, Mr Yunusa-Ari’ appeared, announcing Senator Binani the winner of the election without any figures. This is in defiance of the dictates of the Electoral Act which vests such powers in the returning officer.

Inec said the action of amounted to the usurpation of the power of the returning officer, insisting it is null, void and of no effect. It has since declared Governor Fintiri the winner and is set to issue him with a certificate of return.

In addition, Inec has said it will write the inspector-general of police Baba Ahmed, to investigate and prosecute Mr Yunusa-Ari. It also decided to write to the secretary to the government of the federation Boss Mustapha, to brief President Muhammadu Buhari about his unwholesome behaviour.