Adamawa REC Did The Same Thing INEC Chairman Did During 2023 Presidential Election – Atiku’s Camp

The Special Assistant to Atiku Abubakar on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu has accused the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa-Ari of playing the same script the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu played during the 2023 presidential election.

Shaibu in a statement on Monday said the activities of INEC can simply be described as that of ‘Ali Baba and the 40 thieves’.

According to him, Yakubu connived with some others to announce Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC)  as the winner of the February 25 presidential election in Nigeria when it was clear the election was filled with many irregularities.

He added that Yunusa-Ari simply followed in the footsteps of the INEC chairman, Yakubu with what transpired on Sunday in the Adamawa State governorship election on Sunday.

Naija News recalls Yunusa-Ari had on Sunday announced Senator Aishatu Binani, of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election even while the results were still being collated.

It took the intervention of the INEC headquarters to suspend the collation of results and denounce the results announced by the REC.

Reacting to the development, Shaibu said the national leadership of INEC could not pretend to be unaware of the many allegations hanging on the neck of the Adamawa REC.

Atiku’s aide also added that the suspension of the Adamawa REC without his arrest and prosecution was merely a slap in the wrist.

“It is crystal clear even to the blind that the Adamawa REC learnt well from the INEC Chairman. INEC as an organization, from the top to the bottom is akin to Ali Baba and the 40 thieves. As a matter of fact, the baby goat learns to eat grass by diligently watching the mama devour the lush grass around them”.

He said, “Over a month ago, Sahara Reporters published an audio clip where the Adamawa REC was heard directing an election official, Hammajam Mohammed, to rig the governorship election in favour of Binani.

“In the leaked audio, Yunusa told Mohammed to do everything humanly possible to make Binani win. He told the electoral official that he was instructed by a higher authority to make Binani win. Governor Ahmadu Fintiri complained severally about the compromised REC but INEC did nothing about it.

“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 alleged that INEC had always been in bed with Binani and what transpired in Adamawa over the weekend didn’t come as a surprise.

In his words, “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.

“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.”

Yakubu Failed Nigerians

Atiku’s aide also said the INEC chairman failed to organize a credible 2023 election despite getting the largest budget ever in the history of elections in Nigeria.

He added, “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 unto 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 have yet to be uploaded.

“Results from Rivers State 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.”