Dismissed Adamawa REC Ari insists Binani won 2023 guber poll, demands fair hearing

Barrister Hudu Ari, dismissed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, has reiterated his claim that Senator Aisha Binani, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023, won the governorship election.

Ari, while defending his stance, swore with the name of God that his actions during the exercise were based on truth and evidence.

Addressing journalists at his private residence in Bauchi State on Saturday, Barrister Ari insisted that he possessed documentary evidence proving that Binani defeated the incumbent governor, Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ari, who was suspended in 2023 and eventually dismissed following the National Assembly’s approval of his sack last week, expressed frustration that his evidence of election irregularities was disregarded by both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.

According to Ari, there was immense pressure on him and other electoral officials to declare Governor Fintiri the winner or risk personal security threats.

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He further alleged that INEC’s Head of ICT in Adamawa State, Bala Aji, compromised the election process by handing over about 20,000 election documents to the governor, who was also the PDP candidate in the election.

He recounted an incident where he, along with the Commissioner of Police and other security agencies, raided a private residence allegedly linked to the governor, where electoral malpractices occurred.

“It took time to open the door, and when we finally gained access, we found the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and other officials working with election documents that covered the entire state,” he claimed.

Ari also accused Aji of distributing BVAS machines and bribing INEC staff with foreign currency on Election Day, “This was a clear abuse of responsibility, and I took immediate steps against these actions, expecting INEC headquarters to intervene. Instead, my reports were ignored,” he lamented.

Ari asserted that he was denied a fair hearing by INEC and the Tribunal, and his evidence supporting Binani’s victory was dismissed without due consideration. He maintained that his sack by the President was not his biggest concern but rather the “media trial” that, according to him, had tarnished his reputation.

Addressing allegations that he received a ₦ 2 billion bribe from politicians, Ari flatly denied the claim. He revealed that he was consulting his family on whether to pursue legal action, stating, “Nigeria belongs to all of us, and it is up to us to either make it or mar it.”

Reflecting on his time in office in Adamawa State, he pointed out that he had successfully conducted the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections without controversy.

However, he claimed that issues arose during the Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections in 69 polling units of the State, leading to the crisis that ultimately resulted in his dismissal.

Source: LEADERSHIP