A group of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has expressed their concern over the political drama that occurred during the supplementary election in Adamawa State. They have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene and put an end to this attack on Nigeria’s nascent democracy.
In a statement issued by Mada Ibrahim and Michael Ayuba James on Monday, the CSOs called for the immediate arrest of the APC Gubernatorial Candidate in Adamawa State, Aishatu Binani, the Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), the State Commissioner of Police, the Director of State Security, and the counterpart of National Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) for allegedly “staging a coup against democracy”.
The CSOs emphasized that the democracy in Adamawa State would continue to be under serious threat if the aforementioned individuals were not duly prosecuted in line with Nigeria’s existing rules for treason. They noted that these elements have made Nigeria a laughing stock in the committee of nations for their effrontery to hold democracy hostage in furtherance of their primitive lust for power or personal aggrandizement.
The CSOs called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the arrest of the aforementioned individuals as a matter of urgency to save Nigeria’s nascent democracy from being supplanted by desperate conspirators for their self-serving and whimsical proclivities. They urged INEC to order the arrest and prosecution of the REC so as to serve as a deterrent to others and to assert that the electoral umpire is truly independent.
The CSOs acknowledged the decisive role played by the headquarters of INEC, which wielded the big stick against their erring REC by calling off his bluff and maintained the narrow path of honor and truth. They commended the Governor of Adamawa State, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, for his calculated restraint and resilience in the face of the day light robbery hoisted by these charlatans and undemocratic forces to take his leadership through the back door.
In view of the facts at their disposal, the CSOs called for the arrest, investigation, and prosecution of Mr. Hudu Ari, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, and his conspirators. They demanded that the security agencies investigate all those involved in the black Sunday Saga. The CSOs also called for an investigation into the alleged N2 billion disbursed to facilitate the announcement of the APC Gubernatorial Candidate as Governor Elect.
The CSOs further called for Aishatu Binani’s immediate arrest and questioning in order to ascertain what actually transpired. They stated that she should be questioned for giving an acceptance speech after being declared Governor Elect illegally. They also called on the Inspector General of Police, the Commandant of the Nigerian Civil Defence Corp, and the Department for State Security to launch a probe into why senior officers from these security agencies accompanied Mr. Ari Hudu to INEC center where he illegally made the announcement.
The CSOs noted that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission deployed to the state have displayed gross incompetence, partiality, and favoritism all geared towards suppressing the wishes of Adamawa voters in order to make Binani the Governor of Adamawa State by hook or by crook. They called on INEC to redeploy its officials from the state and to bring in new ones.
Finally, the CSOs called on INEC to declare Umar Fintiri as the Governor Elect of the state immediately. They claimed that Fintiri actually won the elections ab initio and that APC, Binani, and others connived to foist the supplementary polls on them. They urged all relevant authorities to take immediate action to protect Nigeria’s democracy and the will of the people.
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