The North-East State’s additional governorship election on Saturday has drawn controversy.
Usman Baba, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), has issued an order for Mohammed Barde, the Commissioner of Police in charge of election duties in Adamawa State, to leave the region as soon as possible.
The IGP also mandated that CP Etim Equa, the Gombe State-based commissioner of police, go right away for Adamawa State to oversee election security for the upcoming supplemental governorship election.
On Tuesday in Abuja, Force Public Relations Officer Muyiwa Adejobi said the IGP is committed to a free and fair procedure.
“The IGP has given directive that the Commissioner of Police in charge of Gombe State, CP Etim Equa, should proceed to Adamawa State immediately, to go and supervise elections and provide necessary information and ensure that the process is successful,” he said. “The Commissioner of Police in charge of Election Security in Adamawa State, CP Barde, should pull out of Adamawa State.”
Adejobi added that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not yet sent the IGP a letter requesting an investigation into and possible prosecution of its disgraced Resident Electoral Commissioner in Adamawa, Hudu Yunusa Ari.
The state capital has resumed compiling the results in the interim.
Following Ari’s declaration of Aisha “Binani” Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the victor over the incumbent, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), INEC had postponed collation for the Saturday supplemental governorship election in Adamawa.
Ari was promptly summoned to Abuja by INEC, which deemed his pronouncement to be unlawful and an abuse of the collation and returning officer’s authority.
The election umpire added that it would write to Usman Baba, the Inspector General of Police, requesting an investigation and prosecution of Ari, but the police have not yet received the letter.
Results from 10 LGAs had been announced before the collation procedure was stopped on Saturday night, and Binani was behind Fintiri.
Mele Lamido, the returning officer for the Adamawa governorship election, was not present when Ari proclaimed Binani as the winner of the poll. The collation of results from the remaining 10 LGAs was scheduled to begin by 11am on Sunday.
Lamido is the legitimate representative authorized by the constitution to announce the election’s victor.
