A pro-democracy group, Concerned Citizens for Peace & Development, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the result of the Adamawa state governorship election without delay and restore democracy to the state.
The National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Dominic Ogakwu, said that the 2023 Governorship Election of Adamawa state has become a world centre of attraction.
“It is now a debacle of power tussle between the incumbent Governor Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri and Senator Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru (Binani), senator representing Adamawa Central whose gross desire is to become the next governor of the state.
“Fintiri is facing a battle royale with the fierce desperation of Binani who seems to be powerfully influencing the conduct and the process of the governorship election.
“Speaking as concerned Nigerians who are indigenes of Adamawa state and have followed the political trends, the group is worried that, given the toxic environment being created by Binani who was even receiving congratulatory messages on social media, the state has been placed on a time bomb.
“Binani began to fly a kite, using unsubmitted Fofure local government area results where over thirty-one thousand votes were recorded in her favour.
“The imaginary votes threw confusion in the electoral process as people from all walks of life began to congratulate Binani as the first female Governor in the history of Nigeria, including the international community even without final collation and announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“What are the issues? First, how can Binani, being a contestant, be given the contract to print the INEC’s sensitive papers in the same Adamawa state?
“By so doing Binani has clearly indicated that she has no moral standing to lead the state.
“Also, on declaring an inconclusive
election after announcing results from twenty-one local government areas by the INEC Returning Officer, Professor Mohammed Mele, is not tenable.
“According to Mele, a winner could not emerge because the number of collected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in 69 polling units in which elections were not held and the canceled figures are higher than the winning margin of 31,250 polled by Fintiri.
“The group says Binani is wielding power, influence and affluence by making it look as if she must be the governor of Adamawa state at all cost.
“Adamawa is sitting on a gun powder because the Binani ungodly desire is infuriating the common people whose votes have already counted for a winner to emerge.
“The state is known to be peaceful and rightly labeled as the Land of Beauty. It is in the light of this we urge that urgent attention is paid to the antics of Binani and her co-travellers before they derail the peace in the state by claiming victory that is not theirs to claim,” the pro-democracy group appealed.
It also pointed out the annoying part of Binani’s game as the fact that the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Pauline Kedem Tallen, who ought to be neutral and play the role of a mother to everyone, has failed woefully:
“We in Adamawa cannot allow someone from Plateau state to come and ruin our beautiful state.
“Is this not the same Pauline Tallen, Plateau State Deputy Governor in 2007…if she was that good… and failed woefully when she contested as the governor of Plateau state?
“Probably Mrs Tallen and those on her train should be drawn on few issues that her desire for Binani to be governor by crook is a cancer on morality.
“It is crass and unfortunate that a supposed Minister of the Federal Republic will be shouting victory and congratulating a candidate that did not win and was not declared by the electoral commission.
“What sort of minister is that? Is she setting the stage for violence in Adamawa state?”
It advised that Mrs. Pauline Tallen and those staging ill-advised rallies be held responsible, if anything untoward happens in Adamawa state owing to their undue influence and agitations for the INEC to award the governorship to Binani just like sensitive printing contracts were awarded to her.
The group further urged the INEC to demonstrate that it is independent and above board by explaining how the units for the re-run increased from 69 to 77 polling units as widely spread on social media.
“Any action not in tandem with the Electoral Act and its guidelines will not be permitted by the good people of Adamawa.
“It is also pertinent to draw the attention of the local and international community that Binani was never announced the winner of the Adamawa Governorship Election; and, as it stands, except by devious manipulations, she cannot win going by the 37, 016 collected PVCs in the area under contestation.
“Our appeal is for the security agencies to take note; for the INEC to demonstrate some modicum of integrity and neutrality; and for all those fanning this wildfire of an illusory victory of Binani to desist and not plunge Adamawa into unnecessary crisis because of the Macbeth-like ambition of one woman,” the national coordinator noted.
