INEC files 6 count charges against suspended Adamawa REC, Ari
The suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) deployed to Adamawa State, Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari, is facing a six-count charge filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the state High Court in Yola.
Following the controversial supplementary election in Adamawa on April 15, 2023, where Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was declared the winner while collation of results was still ongoing, Ari became the center of a controversy.
After reviewing a case file from the Police that established a prima facie case against the suspended REC, INEC made the decision to charge Ari to court.
The trial is set to commence on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, according to a statemen issued by Festus Okoye, the national commissioner and chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee.
INEC also emphasized that it has taken decisive action against electoral offenders and is working in collaboration with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to ensure the diligent prosecution of other cases.
The statement further highlighted that offenses committed under the Electoral Act 2022 are triable in a Magistrate Court or a High Court of the state where the offense occurred or in Abuja, as provided by Section 145(1) of the Act.
The prosecution under the Act will be undertaken by legal officers of the Commission or appointed legal practitioners, as stated in Section 145(2) of the Act.
With the case file against Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari establishing a prima facie case, INEC has filed a six-count charge against him at the Adamawa State High Court in Yola.
The trial is scheduled to commence on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.
