May 02, (THEWILL) – The investigative panel set up by the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to look into the controversial declaration of Aisha Binani Dahiru as the winner of the Adamawa gubernatorial election, has invited the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari.
The panel consists of police, Department of State Security (DSS) and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials.
Yunusa-Ari had provoked outrage when he declared the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Aisha Binani, winner of the polls despite ongoing collation of results in ten LGAs
While INEC promptly suspended him and nullified Binani’s purported victory, President Muhammadu Buhari, who approved his suspension, further asked the IGP to investigate Yunusa-Ari’s electoral infraction.
The investigative panel headed by Assistant Inspector-General of Police and Head of Interpol, Nigeria, Garba Umar, has invited YunusaAri to the Force Headquarters Abuja.
Umar was appointed the head of the election planning, monitoring and evaluation team in the build-up to the general election.
Spokesperson for the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Funmi Eguaoje, confirmed Yunusa-Ari’s invitation.
Eguaoje said, “The suspended Adamawa REC has been invited by a joint panel comprising the police, DSS, and INEC officials.
“The Committee was set up to investigate the matter, and the Chairman of the Committee is AIG Garba. But, it is not solely a police matter; the case is under the joint panel’s jurisdiction.
“The REC was invited by the joint committee, not the police. And I can’t confirm whether or not he has honoured the invite. I only know that he has been invited by the panel.”
