Former Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Barrister Hudu Ari, 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 Bauchi residence on Saturday, Ari maintained that his declaration was based on verifiable evidence, not political bias.
Swearing by the Qur’an during his press briefing, the embattled former REC insisted he had documentary proof showing that Binani secured more votes than Governor Umaru Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He expressed frustration that his evidence was ignored by both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
Ari, who was initially suspended in 2023 and officially dismissed last week after the National Assembly’s approval, alleged that he and other electoral officials faced intense pressure to announce Fintiri as the winner. He claimed they were threatened and coerced into altering the election outcome in favor of the PDP.
He also accused INEC’s Head of ICT in Adamawa State, Bala Aji, of deliberately manipulating election data and handing over around 20,000 sensitive election documents to Governor Fintiri. According to him, these documents played a role in rigging the election results.
In a startling revelation, Ari recounted a security operation involving the police and other agencies at a private residence allegedly linked to the governor. He claimed they discovered top state officials, including the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), tampering with election materials.
