The Campaign Council for the Government of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the state of Adamawa, has requested the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conclude without further delay the process of election of governor in the state.
The council that led a protest outside INEC’s state office in Yola on Monday insists that the collating of results of the gubernatorial supplementary election halted on Sunday resume immediately.
The DAILY POST reports that the INEC headquarters in Abuja suspended the vote in Adamawa state on Sunday after its resident election officer, Hudu Ari, announced a ‘winner’ of the election while the vote was still underway.
Making the statement Sunday morning, as the counting officers waited until 11 a.m. to resume counting the gubernatorial supplemental election results from the remaining 10 LGAs, Ari named the All Progressives Congressional candidate the winner. (APC), Aishatu Ahmed Binani.
Before the announcement, Binani had trailed the main candidate, the PDP’s Ahmadu Fintiri, who was leading in the polls by a margin of more than 30,000 votes.
The PDP’s Fintiri had garnered a total of 425,816 votes as of Sunday morning after the results of the first 10 LGAs where the supplementary election was held were collated, while Binani had received a total of 393,403 votes.
The INEC headquarters reacted to Ari’s statement by disavowing the act and announcing the suspension of the matching exercise.
However, the PPD Council, during its protest match at the INEC headquarters in Yola on Monday morning, said that now is the time to resume the comparison of results.
The vice-president of the council, Mr. Felix Tangwami, who spoke to reporters outside the INEC office, said the protest would continue until INEC responds to his call and announces the remaining results.
“INEC has a responsibility to conclude this election and prosecute those who are retracting us,” said the PDP campaign officer, citing Ari as the INEC official who must not go unpunished.
PPD demands continuation of collation and conclusion of Adamawa government surveys
