Confusion As INEC REC Declares Binani Winner Of Adamawa Guber Election

Senator Aisha Dahiru Binani has emerged as the winner of the Adamawa Governorship election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner of Adamawa, Prof Hudu Yunusa Ari, announced Binani’s purported victory on Sunday morning.

Naija News reports that Binani’s victory made her the first elected female governor in Nigeria.

The development has, however, stirred controversies as the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Adamawa, Prof Hudu Yunusa Ari, declared the outcome of the Saturday election midway into the collation.

INEC had commenced collation of the governorship election at exactly 9:30 pm on Saturday night, with results from Demsa and Yola South Local Government Areas presented at the collation centre by the local government returning officers.

This news platform reported earlier that the incumbent Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, was leading the polls with votes after results from 10 councils were collated.

Fintiri is contesting on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Earlier, when results from eight council areas emerged in addition to those of Demsa and Yola South, Fintiri added to his leading votes of 31,249 with wins in Demsa, Lamurde, Jada, Ganye, Song, Maiha, Hong and Shelleng while APC candidate, Binani won only in Yola North and Yola South out of 10 council areas.

Controversies, however, trailed Professor Yunusa Ari’s declaration of Binani as the winner of the poll, earlier than the scheduled time for collation.

Leaked Audio: PDP Laments REC’s Actions On Adamawa Supplementary Election

Before the controversial declaration of the poll winner, PDP had questioned the neutrality of the REC following a leaked audio tape in which he was heard asking the electoral officer in Fufore to help “This woman”.

Naija News understands that when the collation of the Saturday election results resumed, rather than the REC presiding over the affairs, it was the Administrative Secretary of the commission in the state, Adamu Gujugu, who issued the ground rules for the commencement of collation.

The REC, however, returned later before 11 am scheduled for the final collation of the collation and declared Binani as Winner.

Some PDP supporters in the hall were pained by the declaration and protested the action of the returning officer.