PDP say suspended Adamawa REC was a criminally minded person; Binani broke silence, denied involvement in alleged 2bn bribery scandal of REC
The Adamawa State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has described the initial declaration of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Aishatu Ahmed popularly known as Binani as the winner of the 2023 supplementary governorship election in the State as criminal behaviour by a criminally minded individual.
Former Minister of Health, Aliyu Idi Hong, disclosed this while speaking exclusively to TVC News on TVC News Breakfast.
Mr Hong said the Peoples Democratic Party in Adamawa State was not perturbed by the declaration and that it was always confident that the Independent National Electoral Commission will do the right thing which eventually happened with the hammer that the commission placed on the suspended REC, Hudu Yunusa Ari.
He described the action of the suspended REC as treasonable urging INEC to take action against him further than just the suspension to send a strong signal that something like that must never happen again.
He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission for the speed with which it addressed the issue when the false declaration was initially made.
He expressed the belief that the suspended REC will pay a heavy penalty for his actions.
Hong said the fact he was referred to the Inspector General of Police for investigation and prosecution by the Independent National Electoral Commission is a welcome development including the call to review his appointment as REC by the Federal Government.
He said the decision shows that the nation will grow and reach its potentials with that kind of development.
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, AKA Binani, has broken silence on her involvement in ₦2 billion bribery scandal denying any complicity in the alleged bribery scandal involving the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Barrister Hudu Yunusa Ari.
The female politician stated that she is a committed democrat who would never subvert the democratic process. “I wish to reiterate that I am a democrat, I have always been a committed democrat and will never do anything to subvert democratic process. I am not a do-or-die politician,” the statement read.
Binani went further to clarify that the alleged confession by the REC was made under duress, as he was being tortured at gunpoint by agents of the Adamawa State Governor and the Government House police team alongside their political thugs.
Yunusa, announced Binani as the winner, even when the resumption of the collation of results scheduled for 11 am on Sunday, April 15, 2023, had yet to start.
This was done by the REC and not the returning officer, as provided by the Electoral Act.
In a viral video online, the REC, Yunusa confessed to receiving a ₦2 billion bribe to announce Binani as the winner of the election.
However, Binani has refuted the claims in a statement released late on Tuesday, April 17, 2023.
Eventually, the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Ahmadu Fintiri, of the Peoples Democratic Party, as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship election, on Tuesday, April 17, 2023, after polling 430,861 votes to defeat Binani.
