The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reacted to an allegation levelled against its officials by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the just-concluded Adamawa gubernatorial election, Senator Aishatu ‘Binani’ Dalhatu.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Dahiru denied an allegation that she bribed the embattled INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, to be declared as the winner of the gubernatorial poll, a declaration that was rescinded by the electoral commission.
She also alleged that INEC’s subsequent declaration of Governor Ahmadu Fintiri as the winner of the election occurred after “nocturnal visits” of some top INEC officials to the Adamawa Government House.
“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.
“The roles of these INEC officers from Abuja and the real mission of the two to the government house should be of interest to all democrats,” Binani noted.
However, INEC debunked the allegation in a Thursday statement signed by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye.
“The attention of the Commission has been drawn to a Press Statement by a candidate in the recently concluded Adamawa State Governorship election in which officials deployed for legitimate duty in the State were alleged to have undermined the electoral process after a discreet ‘nocturnal’ visit to the Government House and ostensibly met with one of the candidates in the election who gave them a list of ‘collation and returning officers’ deployed for the election.
“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 in Adamawa State was duly informed.
“The list of Collation Officers was also forwarded to the State with every page of the list personally endorsed by the Chairman of the Commission well ahead of the arrival of the National Commissioners,” the statement read in part.
According to Okoye, the same press statement created the impression that the National Headquarters of the commission specifically targeted Adamawa state in its deployment of National Commissioners and other officials with the sole intention of influencing the outcome of the supplementary election held on Saturday 25th April 2023 and sidelining the REC.
He added that nothing could be further from the truth.
“For the record, it has been the standard policy and practice of the Commission to deploy National Commissioners, RECs and other staff from the headquarters or neighbouring States for supplementary or off-cycle elections where doing so is considered necessary.
“In the case of Adamawa State where supplementary governorship election was held in 69 polling units, two National Commissioners were deployed while for Kebbi State involving 142 polling units, three National Commissioners were deployed. Similarly, one National Commissioner each was deployed to Sokoto, Zamfara, Imo, Rivers, Ekiti and Ogun States.
“This has been the standard practice of the Commission of which all RECs are informed in advance. Therefore, Adamawa State was not specifically targeted. In all other States, the RECs worked cooperatively with the National Commissioners except in Adamawa State for reasons that are now obvious to all.
“The public is advised to discountenance these insinuations as nothing more than a claptrap. We also advise those behind the mischief to desist forthwith as such fabrications have endangered the lives of our officials (both ad hoc and regular) engaged in legitimate election duties. We expect well-meaning citizens to act within the bounds of propriety and decency,” the statement further read.