The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has told the dismissed Resident Electoral Commissioner(REC) Hudu Ari to prove his innocence before a competent court of law where he is being tried for allegedly infringing on the electoral process during the 2023 governorship election in Adamawa State.
Ari, who is being prosecuted by the commission for electoral offences in a beireifng in Bauchi at the weekend, said he had evidence that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Aisha Binani, won the governorship election in Adamawa State.
The former REC declared Binani winner of the contest when the rerun election was still ongoing before leaving the State, alleging his life was in danger.
However, National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee of the Commission, Sam Olimekun (Mni) told The Nation that the commission will not comment on Ari’s allegations because his case is before the court.
Olimekun said: “In response to your request, our attention has also been drawn to the interview granted by the former REC of Adamawa State, Mr. Hudu Yunusa Ari. There is nothing new in what he said.
“In any case, the substantive matter of the 2023 Adamawa State Governorship election has been determined through the appropriate judicial process from the trial Tribunal to the Appeal Tribunal and finally settled by the Supreme Court.
“The Commission will not comment on the propriety or otherwise of his conduct during the concluding part of the election as the matter is right now the subject of litigation at the High Court sitting in Yola and therefore subjudice.
“Now that he is back in the country, the right place to prove his innocence and the propriety of his action is by availing himself for the due process of law and not a press conference.”
The Senate recently approved President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s request to sack Ari and two other RECs.