I was forced to declare Fintiri winner – Dismissed Adamawa REC reveals

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The dismissed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, has claimed he was pressured into declaring Governor Ahmadu Fintiri the winner of the disputed 2023 governorship election, despite having evidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani, had legitimately won.

In an interview with selected journalists in Bauchi on Saturday, Yunusa-Ari accused both the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and the Election Tribunal of deliberately overlooking evidence of widespread election irregularities.

He stated that he and other election officials were coerced into declaring Fintiri the victor under threats to their security.

Swearing on the Holy Qur’an, Yunusa-Ari maintained that he had acted in good faith and followed the electoral guidelines. He also accused INEC’s ICT head in Adamawa, Bala Aji, of compromising the election by allegedly handing over 20,000 sensitive election documents to Governor Fintiri. These documents were reportedly discovered at a private residence linked to the governor, where top officials were allegedly tampering with them.

Yunusa-Ari further alleged that Aji had distributed BVAS machines and bribed INEC staff with foreign currency on election day, describing it as an outright abuse of power. Despite these claims, he said his reports exposing these violations were ignored by INEC headquarters.

He said, “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?” He asked

Yunusa-Ari lamented that despite having substantial evidence, he was never invited to present his case. He showed documents he claimed were authentic result sheets and letters he had 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,” he stated.

He also criticized being denied a fair hearing, claiming that INEC and the Tribunal rejected all his evidence.

Addressing allegations of receiving a N2 billion bribe, Yunusa-Ari denied the claims, stating that he was consulting with his family on the next steps, while the media trial had severely tarnished his reputation.

It was reported that Yunusa-Ari was suspended on April 17, 2023, after unilaterally declaring Aisha Binani, the APC governorship candidate, as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship rerun election while the collation was still ongoing.

His announcement was widely condemned as illegal, prompting INEC to quickly nullify the declaration. Yunusa-Ari was later arraigned in the Adamawa State High Court on charges of unprofessional conduct, and his attempt to halt court proceedings earlier this year was dismissed due to lack of merit.

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