Atiku moans Adamawa REC Ari following ‘bad’ example of INEC Chair Yakubu
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the fraud committed by Adamawa Resident Electoral Commission (REC) Hudu Yunusa-Ari in unlawfully declaring the winner in the middle of counting the votes in the state governorship election only mirrors what Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Mahmood Yakubu did during the presidential ballot in February.
Yunusa-Ari on Sunday announced All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Aishatu Binani as the winner of the election while the results were still being collated and he is not authorised by law to declare the winner.
INEC national headquarters has since announced his suspension and postponed indefinitely the declaration of the full result.
In turn, Binani – who gave an acceptance speech amid the fiasco – has gone to court to prevent the INEC from annulling her purported victory.
A statement Atiku issued through his Media Aide Phrank Shaibu insisted INEC national leadership cannot pretend to be ignorant of the many allegations against Yunusa-Ari.
He argued the suspension of Yunusa-Ari without his arrest and prosecution is merely a slap on the wrist.
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Yunusa-Ari ‘learnt well’ from Yakubu
“It is crystal clear even to the blind that the Adamawa REC learnt well from the INEC Chairman. INEC as an organisation, from the top to the bottom, is akin to Ali Baba and the 40 thieves,” the statement lamented, per Vanguard.
“As a matter of fact, the baby goat learns to eat grass by diligently watching the mama devour the lush grass around them.
“Despite having over one month to prepare for this supplementary poll, INEC retained this compromised REC who went ahead to undermine the election once more.
“From all that has happened, it is obvious that Yunusa-Ari was acting on orders from above and that is why Governor Ahmadu Fintiri’s warnings were ignored.
“This carefully orchestrated action is a reflection of the electoral heist of February 25, 2023 when the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, decided to announce Bola Tinubu of the APC as winner despite the many irregularities and complaints from several opposition parties.
“Indeed, Yunusa-Ari acted like his father and boss, Mahmood Yakubu.”
Shaibu said the Adamawa fiasco didn’t come as a surprise since the INEC has always colluded with Binani and even admitted in a statement that it awarded a contract to one of her companies.
“INEC had in a statement by National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, admitted to awarding a sensitive contract to the Binani Printing Press Limited, a firm owned by the APC governorship candidate.
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“In the statement, Okoye had claimed that the company was awarded the contract as a way of stimulating the economy and encouraging Nigerian enterprise. It is obvious that Binani and INEC are in bed together.”
Unprecedented failure of INEC
Shaibu lamented Yakubu’s name has become a by-word for scorn after conducting the most flawed election in the history of Nigeria.
He wondered why the INEC under the leadership of Yakubu failed to deliver a credible poll despite receiving the biggest budget ever.
“How will Mahmood Yakubu be remembered? Well, Nigerian singers like Falz and Vector have already composed a song titled Yakubu so that generations unborn will remember the sort of character he is.
“The video alone has garnered over one million views on YouTube and has become a social media sensation.
“This is a man who promised over and over again to upload the results of elections in real-time to the INEC’s portal and failed to do so yet he lacks the decency to apologise to over 200 million people.
“Nearly two months after that shambolic election, all the results are yet to be uploaded.
“Results from Rivers State [shown on INEC portal, IReV] even show that Tinubu did not even win in that state. Rather than suspend the announcement of results, Mr Yakubu decided to announce Tinubu as the winner. One wonders how such a man sleeps at night.”
 Chairman Mahmood Yakubu did during the presidential){kind=link}