Adamawa: NSCDC Summons Commander For Alleged Role In Illegal Declaration

Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) says it has begun investigation into the controversies that earlier trailed the supplementary governorship election in Adamawa State.

Gatekeepers News reports that the Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC, Hudu Ari, had illegally declared candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Aishatu Dahiru popularly called Binani, as winner of the election while collation of results was still ongoing on Sunday.

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, immediately ordered suspension of the collation of results and summoned the REC to the commission’s office in Abuja.

In a video that went viral, Mr Ari perpetrated the illegal declaration under the protection of the commandant of the state NSCDC, commissioner of police and commander of the DSS.

Commandant General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, in a statement on Wednesday, said the Adamawa commandant of NSCDC will face the management team to give details of his role in the illegal declaration of Mrs Dahiru.

Mr Audi ordered the embattled Adamawa commander of NSCDC to immediately hand over the command to his deputy in order to ensure smooth investigation.

He assured that the commander would be prosecuted if found guilty of criminal acts.

“I have summoned the State Commandant to the National Headquarters to face the management team and explain himself in clear terms,” he said.

“We are known for our integrity, neutrality and non-partisanship in election matters, that is why we will not take the case of Adamawa lightly,” he added.

“I have ordered him to hand over the Command to his immediate deputy because his role in the rerun election is currently being investigated and if he is found culpable, then he will have himself to blame.”

The collation of results however resumed on Tuesday evening after several outcries from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and election observers.

The State Returning Officer, Mohammed Mele, later declared Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the PDP winner of the poll after he scored the total vote of 430,861 to defeat the APC candidate who polled a total vote of 398,788.