The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has lamented the treatment meted out to one of its National Commissioners performing election duty in Adamawa State.
National Commissioner, Information & Voter Education of INEC, Barr. Festus Okoye said during a press briefing in Birnin Kebbi on Sunday that the affected commissioner, Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, was “stripped naked and dragged”.
Okoye said Zuru is a former Vice-Chancellor of Usman Danfodiyo University (UDUS), Sokoto, who was appointed National Commissioner in 2021.
“If you see what is trending, two national commissioners were deployed to Adamawa State. One of them was brutalised, one of them was stripped naked. That will not be allowed to stand.
“The security agencies must unmask those who engaged in that particular act. They must be arrested, they must be investigated and they must be prosecuted. A national commissioner cannot be treated as if he or she is a common criminal.
“A former Vice Chancellor of Usman Dan Fodio University, a senior citizen was stripped naked and dragged. This commission will not allow that to stand,” Okoye said.
He disclosed that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa, Yunusa Ari, has arrived Abuja over an invalid declaration of Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the governorship election.
Okoye said the REC will face a panel to explain his actions.
“But for what the REC has done, we have summoned him to Abuja and he must appear. Then the commission will sit and take a decision on further collation of results and what to do with the REC.
“Ten LGAs have been collated, the commission adjourned to reconvene, only for the REC to emerge and arrogated himself the task of being a returning officer and purportedly made a declaration.
“Whatever he did was illegal, null and void. It has been rendered useless by the commission,” Okoye said.