The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has advised the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, to prove his innocence in court rather than through public statements.
The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, made this statement in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.
Oyekanmi stated that now that Yunusa-Ari has returned to the country, he should take the opportunity to defend himself legally regarding his alleged role in electoral irregularities during the 2023 Adamawa governorship election.
Yunusa-Ari faces a six-count charge related to unlawful actions in the March 18, 2023, election. He was suspended in April 2023 by former President Muhammadu Buhari after he prematurely declared Aisha Dahiru (Binani) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner while collation was still ongoing.
INEC immediately nullified the declaration, summoned Yunusa-Ari to its headquarters in Abuja, and subsequently suspended him.
At a news conference in Bauchi State on Saturday, Yunusa-Ari criticized his suspension, claiming he was not given a fair hearing and insisting that Binani won the election.
Reacting to Yunusa-Ari’s claims, Oyekanmi dismissed them as nothing new, urging him to present his defense in court instead of through media engagements.
“The substantive matter of the 2023 Adamawa governorship election has already been determined through the judicial process, from the trial tribunal to the appeal tribunal, and finally settled by the Supreme Court,” he said.
“Now that he is back in the country, the right place to prove his innocence and justify his actions is through the due process of law, not a press conference.”
Yunusa-Ari previously filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja in February 2024, seeking protection from arrest, detention, or prosecution. However, Justice James Omotosho dismissed the case, ruling that there were no legal grounds to grant him immunity from prosecution.
Additionally, in January 2025, Yunusa-Ari pleaded with the Adamawa High Court to adjourn the case against him indefinitely (sine die).
Recently, the Senate approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to dismiss Yunusa-Ari, alongside the RECs of Abia and Sokoto States, over allegations of misconduct.
At his Bauchi news conference, Yunusa-Ari stated that he had made several attempts to explain his actions to INEC through letters, but he claimed that pressure was mounted on officials to declare Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner.