The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has declared the announcement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Aishatu Dahiru Binani as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship election as null and void.
JOURNALIST101 earlier reported the declaration of Binani as the winner of the poll, even before the completion of the collation of results by the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the INEC, Hudu Yunusa.
Mr. Yunusa announced Binani as the winner, even when the resumption of the collation of results scheduled for 11 am on Sunday had yet to start following the supplementary election held Saturday.
This announcement was not done by the returning officer, as provided by the Electoral Act.
Yunusa allocated 221,303 votes to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and the incumbent governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.
The figures allocated to Fintiri represent a 50 per cent shortfall of his initial score of over 400,000 votes.
But INEC, in a statement on its official Twitter handle shortly after the announcement of Binani as the winner of the election, described the action of the REC as the “usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer”.
“It is null, void and of no effect,” the statement issued by Barr. Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner, Information & Voter Education, said.
It further said, “The attention of the Commission has been drawn to a purported declaration of winner in the Adamawa Governorship election by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) even when the process has clearly not been concluded.”
“Consequently, the collation of results of the supplementary election is hereby suspended.
“The REC, Returning Officer and all involved are hereby invited to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja immediately. Detailed statement to follow shortly,” it said.
