Barrister Hudu Ari, the former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, has reaffirmed his claim that Senator Aisha Binani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was the rightful winner of the 2023 gubernatorial election.
Speaking at his private residence in Bauchi on Saturday, Ari swore by God that his actions were based on truth and supported by evidence. He insisted that he possessed documents proving Binani's victory over the incumbent governor, Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ari, who was suspended in 2023 and officially dismissed last week following National Assembly approval, expressed frustration that his evidence of electoral irregularities was ignored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
Holding a copy of the Qur’an during the press briefing, he maintained that his declaration of Binani as the winner was in line with electoral guidelines. He alleged that he and other electoral officials faced threats to declare Governor Fintiri the winner under duress.
Ari further accused INEC’s Head of ICT in Adamawa, Bala Aji, of manipulating the process by handing over 20,000 election documents to the governor. He claimed that security agencies and the Commissioner of Police assisted him in raiding a private residence allegedly linked to Fintiri, where electoral malpractices were uncovered.
“We struggled to gain entry, and when we did, we found the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and other officials working with election documents covering the entire state,” he alleged.
Additionally, he accused Aji of distributing BVAS machines and bribing INEC staff with foreign currency during the election.
He lamented that despite reporting these alleged infractions to INEC headquarters, his concerns were ignored. He also claimed that he was denied a fair hearing by both INEC and the Tribunal, stating that his evidence supporting Binani’s victory was dismissed without proper review.
Addressing allegations that he received a ₦2 billion bribe from politicians, Ari denied the claims outright. He revealed that he was consulting his family on whether to take legal action, emphasizing that Nigeria’s future depends on its people choosing to either “build or destroy” the country.
Reflecting on his time as REC, he noted that he successfully conducted the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections without controversy. However, he said irregularities in 69 polling units during the gubernatorial and State Assembly elections led to the crisis that ultimately cost him his position.
