Aishatu Ahmed, popularly known as Binani, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Adamawa State, has expressed support for the decision of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s declaration of the state’s governorship election as inconclusive.
The state collation officer, Prof Muhammadu Mele of the University of Maiduguri, declared the election inconclusive due to the margin of votes. Incumbent Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, seeking re-election under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), polled 421,524 votes, while Ahmed scored 390,275. Elections did not hold in 47 wards, affecting 69 polling units.
Aushatu Ahmed on INEC decision Channels TV
During an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Ahmed praised the decision, saying that violence and irregularities were recorded in 16 of the 21 local government areas in the state. She claimed that the election was marred with violence, rigging, over-voting, and all manner of shenanigans. Ahmed argued that the BVAS devices were bypassed, permitting over-voting and intimidation of electoral staff in several locations. She said the only way for the Resident Electoral Commission to “come out clean” was to declare the result inconclusive.
Citing the Electoral Act, Ahmed argued that “INEC has the powers to review the results within seven days to determine whether any declaration was made under duress or where it failed to comply with the electoral laws and regulations”. She also called for a review of the local governments to bring out the actual candidates’ figures. Ahmed expressed her confidence in returning to the field for a supplementary election and her enthusiasm for becoming the first elected female governor in the country, saying that she is doing it for every girl, child and woman in Nigeria.
