Politics
Dismissed Adamawa REC Swears By The Quran Insists He Was Forced To Declare Fintiri Winner
The dismissed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, has alleged that he was pressured to declare Governor Ahmadu Fintiri the winner of the controversial 2023 governorship election, despite possessing evidence that the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Binani, rightfully won.
Speaking in Bauchi on Saturday in an interview with select journalists, Yunusa-Ari accused both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and the Election Tribunal of deliberately ignoring evidence of widespread irregularities.
According to him, he and other officials were pressured to declare Fintiri the winner under threats to their security.
Swearing by the Holy Qur’an, he insisted that he acted in good faith and followed electoral guidelines.
He also accused INEC’s ICT head in Adamawa, Bala Aji, of compromising the election, alleging that Aji handed over 20,000 sensitive election documents to Governor Fintiri.
He further claimed that the documents were found in a private house linked to the governor, where top government officials were allegedly manipulating them.
Yunusa-Ari also alleged that Aji distributed BVAS machines and bribed INEC staff with foreign currency on election day, calling it a blatant abuse of office.
He lamented that his reports exposing those 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
Ari insisted that he had substantial evidence to support his position but was never invited to present his case.
He displayed documents he claimed were authentic result sheets, along with letters he 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 decried being denied a fair hearing, claiming INEC and the Tribunal dismissed all his evidence.
Dismissing allegations of receiving a N2 billion bribe, Yunusa-Ari said he is consulting his family on his next steps, stating that the media trial has severely damaged his reputation.
JomogNews Nigeria reports that Mr. Yunusa-Ari was suspended on April 17, 2023, after unilaterally declaring Aisha Binani, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship rerun election while collation was still in progress.
His announcement was widely condemned as illegal, prompting the INEC to swiftly nullify the declaration.
He was later arraigned before the Adamawa State High Court on charges of unprofessional conduct.
Earlier this year, his attempt to halt court proceedings was dismissed for lacking merit.
The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, has initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Deputy Ngozi Odu, issuing them a seven-day notice to respond to allegations of gross misconduct.
The Assembly cited eight specific allegations of gross misconduct as the basis for the move.
This is the third time Fubara and Odu would be facing impeachment proceedings from the Assembly since coming to office in 2023.
Attempts to impeach them in 2023 and 2025, amid political feuds between the Governor and his predecessor and erstwhile political god-father, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had been halted by presidential intervention.
Here are the allegations below:
1. Reckless and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds
2. Unconstitutional misappropriation of public funds
3. Hindering the Rivers Assembly from performing its constitutional duties
4. Illegal appointments of persons without screening by the House of Assembly as provided by the Constitution
5. Seizure of salaries and funds meant for Assembly members
6. Seizure of salaries of the clerk of the Rivers House of Assembly, Emeka Amadi
7. Refusal to implement provisions of the Constitution on financial autonomy of the legislature and the judiciary
8. Withholding of funds meant for the running of the Rivers House of Assembly Service Commission and hindering its activities
Lilian Adebayo, the wife of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, has said that the party will unseat the ruling All Progressive Party at the 2027 election if Nigerians are true to themselves.
Mrs Adebayo made this assertion known on Wednesday during an interview with journalists after an event in Abuja.
According to her, the opposition party has overcome its crisis after the expulsion of its former chairman, Shehu Gabam and others.
She said Nigerians should vote the APC out in the 2027 general election due to the hardship the party has plunged citizens into.
“There is always a crisis in the party; the SPD has been able to handle its own. The problems in the party have been resolved.
“He has a great chance of winning the election if Nigerians are honest with themselves. If Nigerians think that the ones they consistently vote for would move the country forward, they live in denial,” she concerning the husband.
Recall that SDP recently expelled Gabam and other party executives.
The party’s state chairmen on Wednesday urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the police to investigate Gabam over alleged misappropriation.
In a significant political move, Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, October 14, 2025.
Mbah announced his decision during a televised broadcast in Enugu after weeks of speculation.
He said, “Today, after a long reflection, we have made the decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party and join the All Progressives Congress.”
Mbah explained that his decision to join the PDP was informed by the need to reshape Enugu and reorganise the politics of the state.
“Today, I stand before you to announce a break from the past and to share a decision that will shape the road ahead. This concerns our values, how we organize ourselves politically and how we secure the future of our project and our people.
“Leadership sometimes demands painful decisions in the service of higher principles and goals. And there comes a time, when everyone must make a bold choice to determine their destiny.”
Ahead of the governor’s defection, all members of his cabinet had on joined the ruling party.
Governor Mbah’s Senior Media Aide, Dan Nwomeh, confirmed the mass defection in a video posted on his social media handles on Monday. In the video, several government officials were seen openly declaring their allegiance to the APC, chanting praises for President Bola Tinubu and affirming their commitment to the new party.
“Enugu State Cabinet Members join the APC with full chest along with Governor PN Mbah,” Nwomeh stated.
The officials, including commissioners and top aides, could be heard in the video declaring, “We are now in APC; tomorrow is here; it is APC all the way; it is Jagaban all the way; from top to bottom.”
The collective defection marks a significant political shift in Enugu State, which has been a PDP stronghold since 1999.
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