- The Adamawa State High Court has scheduled the arraignment of suspended REC Barrister Hudu Ari Yunusa for his controversial declaration of a winner during ongoing collation
- Yunusa faces charges, including announcing false electoral results and breaching his oath of neutrality, with an arraignment date set
The Adamawa State High Court of Justice has officially scheduled the arraignment of the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Barrister Hudu Ari Yunusa, for November 6, 2023. This comes in the wake of the controversial declaration of Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the governorship poll in Adamawa State before the collation process had concluded.
Senator Ahmed’s declaration by Yunusa was made amidst ongoing collation activities. At that juncture, official results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicated that Senator Ahmed, the APC candidate, was trailing Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), with a notable margin of 31,249 votes.
Yunusa now faces a series of charges, including announcing false electoral results, breaching his oath of neutrality, disorderly conduct during elections, inciting disturbance, and impersonating a public servant.
Originally slated for July 27, 2023, the arraignment was postponed multiple times due to the REC’s failure to appear in court. This led to Justice Benjamin Manji Lawan adjourning the case for the third time.
The court has now set a new date of October 23, 2023, to allow the electoral commission an opportunity to prosecute its suspended officer for alleged electoral offenses. The pending legal proceedings serve as a stark reminder of the importance of upholding the integrity of the electoral process in Nigeria and ensuring that electoral officials act in strict accordance with their duties and responsibilities.
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