The Adamawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has insisted that the governorship candidate of the party Aisha Dahiru Binani, is the legal winner of the State governorship election, promising to oppose any attempt to upturn her victory.
The State’s Returning Electoral Commissioner of the InedepeIndependental Electoral Commission, Hudu Yunusa Ari, had declared Binani as the winner of the election on Sunday, after Saturday’s supplementary elections, but, INEC condemned his action, noting that he was not legally permitted to do so, thereby rejected the result, and later declared the incumbent Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri as the winner of the election.
Reacting to the development at a press conference held at the state headquarters in Yola, the APC lamented the cynical propaganda spread on the media by alleged representatives of the Peoples Democratic Party, to discredit the process that produced Binani as the winner of the keenly contested election, between her and the incumbent governor, Ahmadu Fintiri.
The Acting Chairman of the party in Adamawa state, Elder Samaila Tadawus said the party would explore all legal means, to protect the mandate of the party’s candidate.
He insisted that Binani legally won the election and was already the state governor-elect, absolving her from reports that she attempted to manipulate the process through financial inducements.
Claiming that the lawmaker remains the most popular among other candidates, the chairman alleged that it was the state government who mounted pressures on the two National Commissioners on observation duty to suspend the state REC, illegally.
Disregarding the reports that the REC seized another person’s authority to declare Binani, he insisted that the INEC official is also saddled with such responsibility.
“We are concerned with the negative propaganda by the losers of this election. Some of them are: That the REC was bribed to make the declaration.
“This is a blatant lie. Our candidate was popular and did not require the manipulation of the process to win the election.
“Those who needed to manipulate the process are the ones who wanted the REC to be illegally suspended by two National Commissioners on an over duty.
“We are also aware that the molestation of the National Commissioners was done by Agents of the State Government. Hired thugs were used to molest one of them to the point that he was stripped half naked. Shamelessly, one of the Agents of the state government was seen apologizing to the affected person and claiming that they molested him thinking he was the REC.
“We condemn the weaponization of violence by the opposition. This is seen by their so-called daily protest which is a harbinger of offense. We call on security agencies to as a matter of urgency stop these misguided agitators who are bent on throwing the state into chaos.
“We wish to also express sincere appreciation to the people of the state for shunning their call for violence. We in the APC are peaceful and peace peace-loving people, who will continue to promote peace in the state because we believe that nothing can be achieved without peace.
“Let me state clearly that the APC and all our members in Adamawa State are solidly behind our Governor-elect and wish to announce that we will protect our mandate by all legal means.
“Finally, we call on INEC to abide by the legal requirements that provide for only the Tribunal or the courts to upturn a valid and lawful declaration.
“The REC has absolute responsibility for state elections. The returning officers for Governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections report to him. Arguing that the REC cannot do what he did in the circumstances he found himself is a losing argument,” the statement reads.
