Suspended Adamawa REC ordered to report at police HQ every weekday

The suspended resident electoral commissioner in Adamawa, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, has been directed to report to the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force every weekday.

Yunusa-Ari, who was arrested on Tuesday, has been granted administrative bail.

Police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Friday, said an investigation is still ongoing on the REC’s actions during the Adamawa governorship election.

“The Nigeria Police Force hereby confirms that Barr. Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the Suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, who has been in custody for interrogations by the police in the course of investigations into allegations of impropriety during the supplementary gubernatorial pools in the state, has been granted administrative bail by the Police while investigations subsist.

“He is expected to report at the Police Headquarters every weekday while investigations are ongoing on the matter,” he said.

On April 16, Yunusa-Ari caused controversy by declaring Aisha Binani Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the election — when the collation of the results was yet to be completed.

The Independent National Electoral Commission subsequently declared the announcement null and void and summoned the REC to its headquarters in Abuja.

Governor of Adamawa and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ahmadu Fintiri, was eventually declared the winner of the election.

The electoral umpire later wrote to the police to prosecute Yunusa-Ari over the electoral infraction.

On April 20, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the suspension of the Adamawa REC pending the completion of the investigation by the police.

Yunusa-Ari has said he does not regret announcing Binani as the winner of the election, adding that he wasn’t offered money to make the announcement.