Adamawa gov’ship polls: INEC tackles Binani over alleged partisanship

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied that officials deployed to conduct the Adamawa State governorship election undermined the electoral process. The commission denied that its officials compromised after a “discreet nocturnal visit” to the state government house. National commissioner and chairman Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Festus Okoye, said this yesterday […]

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied that officials deployed to conduct the Adamawa State governorship election undermined the electoral process.

The commission denied that its officials compromised after a “discreet nocturnal visit” to the state government house.

National commissioner and chairman Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, Festus Okoye, said this yesterday in a statement in Abuja.

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 18 governorship election and April 15 supplementary polls, Senator Aisha Dahiru also known as ‘Binani’ had alleged that INEC officials deployed for the election compromised and undermined the electoral process.

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In a statement she personally signed Binani said, “What happened in Adamawa was an unsuccessful attempt to subvert the will of the people. The REC was illegally told to stand down by two INEC national commissioners from Abuja who were supposed to be in Adamawa in a supervisory capacity.

“Even more curious is the nocturnal visit of some INEC national officers to the Adamawa State government house and the bizarre declaration the same day after the visit that they have taken over the collation through the backdoor with the collation and returning officers selected by the governor of Adamawa.”

Recall that INEC had declared candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Ahmadu Fintiri as winner of the election.

Though INEC did not mention Binani or any other candidate in the statement, the commission said such allegations were lies and should be ignored.

The statement reads in part, “Ordinarily, the commission does not join issues with partisan actors, particularly where no evidence has been provided.

“To set the record straight, no such visit or meeting took place let alone the compilation of any purported list of collation and returning officers.

Such a meeting would have been contrary to the oath of neutrality that we all swore to.

“Moreover, every conscientious observer would have noticed that the commission appointed and retained only one returning officer for the governorship election who also doubled as the state collation officer for the presidential election.

“Like all returning officers nationwide, he was issued with a letter of appointment by the commission, and the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State was duly informed.

“The list of collation officers was also forwarded to the state with every page personally endorsed by the chairman of the commission well ahead of the arrival of the national commissioners.”

Nigeria’s greatness will soon manifest – Obi 

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has urged Nigerians who are aggrieved over the outcome of the Adamawa State governorship and the February 25 presidential elections in the country not to resort to violence, saying Nigeria’s greatness will soon manifest.

Obi in a series of tweets on Wednesday night in reaction to the controversies surrounding the just concluded rerun election in Adamawa State said, “The intention of all these electoral brigandage is to provoke the people to violence.”

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State said, “Nigeria is a truly blessed and potentially great nation. With the Almighty God on our side, Nigeria’s greatness will soon manifest fully, thus ensuring that she is well-respected globally.

“In view of this, l ask all well-meaning Nigerians to commit their hearts to prayers for a better and greater Nigeria.

“It bears reiterating as I did on Tuesday at the National Executive Council Meeting of the Labour Party held in Asaba that the millions of Nigerians who voted for Datti and I, did not just cast their votes, but they invested their hope in us for a new Nigeria. So we must stay the course.

“Even in the face of provocations, we must do our utmost to be calm even under provocation; we must also not allow those bent on using any pretext to plunge our country into chaos and leave our youths without a future to succeed.

“I plead to every Nigerian to keep the faith and hope in Nigeria alive. We are on this journey together, and better and happier years await all of us.”