Suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Hudu Yunusa-Ari, has been arrested by the Police in Abuja.
He was picked up, yesterday, 15 days after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, petitioned the Inspector-General of Police to arrest and prosecute him for declaring Senator Aishatu Ahmed (Binani) of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the winner of the Adamawa State governorship election, while the results were still being collated.
Yunusa-Ari’s arrest came shortly after he declared that he had no regrets about declaring the APC governorship candidate winner in controversial circumstances.
The Police in a statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, confirmed the arrest of the suspended REC, who was declared wanted over the Adamawa governorship poll controversy.
Adejobi said: “The Nigeria Police Force hereby confirms the arrest of Barr. Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, who was alleged to have announced the candidate of the All Progressives Congress winner of the gubernatorial elections during the recently concluded supplementary elections.
“This followed calls for his arrest and investigation by the Independent National Electoral Commission on the basis of alleged impropriety in the course of supplementary gubernatorial polls in the state.
“Barrister Ari was arrested by the Police Election Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Team in Abuja on Tuesday 2nd May, 2023 (yesterday).
Meanwhile, Yunusa-Ari has said he had no regrets about announcing Aisha Binani winner of the April 15 governorship election in the state.
Yunusa-Ari had stirred controversy by declaring Aisha Binani Dahiru as the winner when the collation of the results was yet to be completed on April 16.
INEC on April 17 declared Yunusa-Ari’s announcement null and void and summoned the REC and the Adamawa governorship election Chief Returning Officer, Professor Muhammed Mele, to its headquarters in Abuja.
Mele completed the collation of results and announced Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the winner of the poll on April 18.
Subsequently, the electoral umpire, on April 18, wrote to the Nigeria Police Force to prosecute Yunusa-Ari over the electoral infraction.
On April 20, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the suspension of the Adamawa REC, pending the completion of an investigation by the police.
