The suspended Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State, Hudi Yunusa-Ari has failed to appear in court for his arraignment.
The presiding judge, Justice Benjamin Manji of the State High Court in Yola, has, therefore, ordered INEC to produce him in court during its next sitting on November 23, 2023.
According to the prosecution counsel to INEC, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), the police made several attempts to serve him the hearing notice by visiting his home but met his absence several times.
The Request
Jacobs added that the defendant’s surety also could not be traced.
Justice Manji, however, wondered why the police who granted him bail through a surety could neither get the defendant nor the surety.
He, therefore, granted the prosecution counsel’s request for two weeks for the defendant to appear before the court.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the sitting, Jacobs assured that all would be done to ensure the appearance of the defendant on the adjourned date.
Electoral Act
Hudu Yunusa-Ari was suspended for violating the provision of the Electoral Act 2022 and was flown out of Yola in a private jet.
Yunusa-Ari had declared Aishatu Dahiru Binani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the poll even though the collation of results of the supplementary election had yet to be completed.
He bizarrely allocated 221,303 votes to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and the incumbent governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, which represented a 50 per cent shortfall from his initial 400,000 votes.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), however, swiftly nullified the announcement and invited the REC to its headquarters in Abuja.
This followed a supplementary governorship election held in the state, which was won by Governor Fintiri.
