Suspended Adamawa REC arrested
The suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, Barrister Hudu Yunusa-Ari, has been arrested. Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed Ari’s arrest yesterday, said some of the persons who played roles in the controversy surrounding the Adamawa governorship election were also being probed.
The embattled REC had sparked a controversy after declaring Senator Aisha Dahiru Binani, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election when the collation of results had not ended.
But in an interview with BBC Hausa yesterday, Ari said he did not regret his decision to announce the results while collation was yet to be completed.
Daily Trust reports that INEC had overruled the REC and summoned him to Abuja.
Festus Okoye, a spokesman of the commission, later announced that his whereabouts were unknown as the REC neither honoured the summon nor communicated with the electoral body.
INEC had written to the Inspector General of Police to seek the arrest and prosecution of Ari.
Adejobi confirmed the REC’s arrest on Tuesday without giving details.
He said the suspended REC was arrested by the Police Election Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Team in Abuja on Tuesday and he is being grilled to ascertain the motives behind his alleged actions during the supplementary poll.
No regret
Hours before his arrest, the suspended REC defended his action, saying he had no regret in declaring Binani as the winner of the election.
According to him, the law gave him the authority to announce the results.
He also denied allegations that he collected a bribe of N2 billion to make the declaration.