Adamawa supplementary election: CSOs condemn violation of Electoral Act

By Abubakar Yunusa

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has condemned in strong terms the illegal declaration of a winner in the Adamawa State supplementary governorship election by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) on Sunday.

It also urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately sanction Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the resident electoral commissioner in Adamawa, for violating the Electoral Act in the state’s supplementary governorship election.

CDD Director, Idayat Hassan made the call in a statement shared with journalists in Abuja, and said is a brazen violation of the clear provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

Citing the electoral act, he explained that the electoral act, 2022 makes it abundantly clear in Section 25 (2f) that: “The returning officer shall announce the result and declare the winner of the election at the State Collation Centre in the case of election of a Governor of a State.”

Hassan said CDD observed with utmost concern the unhealthy twist of events involving the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (INEC) who illegally took over the responsibility of the Returning Officer by declaring the result of the governorship election. According to her, “It is an affront on the laid down procedure for the

Resident Electoral Commissioner to have gone ahead to make the announcement when he is not empowered by the law to do so.

“Apart from the fact that such a step is patently illegal, the action of the REC is capable of provoking the breakdown of law and order in the State, considering the tense political atmosphere in the State given the inconclusive governorship poll and the subsequent supplementary poll.

“Importantly, we call on all participants in the process and stakeholders across the State to remain calm and maintain the peace. We urge INEC to ensure the prompt conclusion of the process in line with provisions of the Electoral Act and other extant guidelines”, she said.

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Ahead of the November 11, 2023 governorship elections, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has forwarded the names of the governorship candidates of the party for Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The names of the candidates of the party forwarded to the electoral umpire are Timipre Sylva, Ahmed Ododo and Hope Uzodinma respectively as governorship candidates for Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states.

Ododo scored 78,704 to emerge as the candidate of the party. The candidature of Ododo was ratified by a Special Congress of the party, as stipulated in the guidelines for the primary election held on April 14, across all the 239 wards of the state.

However, some governorship aspirants of APC in the state including Senator Smart Adeyemi, former Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Professor