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Embattled Adamawa REC Flees, Police Launch Manhunt

Published

3 years ago

April 24, 2023

Eric

The Commissioner for Information and Voter Education of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Festus Okoye, has said the commission lacks the power to declare wanted its Resident Electoral Commissioner in Adamawa, Hudu Ari.

The REC had got into trouble for usurping the powers of the Collation Officer for Adamawa State to announce the result of supplementary governorship poll and errorneously declaring the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Aishatu Dahiru, aka Binani, as the winner of the poll.

INEC had since written the Inspector General of Police to investigate and prosecute the REC, while the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), ordered that Ari be suspended, probed and possibly prosecuted.

INEC, however, said the whereabouts the REC was unknown as he had refused to take phone calls.

The commission’s spokesman, Okoye, who spoke when he appeared on Arise Television on Sunday, added that there were enough leads that would help the police to arrest the REC.

On what the commission was doing to ensure that the REC was located, Okoye said, “The commission has written officially to the Inspector General of Police detailing some of the infractions which the INEC Residential Electoral Commissioner committed and asking for a thorough investigation of his actions and also asking that the police should find out if he had accomplices in the infractions which he committed.

“The police force has responded to the letter written to them by the commission and advised that they had commenced investigations in relation to his whereabouts and secondly relating to the infractions which he committed. So, that is where we are now.”

Asked if INEC would advise the police to declare Ari a wanted person, Okoye said, “It is not within the province of the commission to dictate to the police force how to carry out its investigation and how to do its work. They have various sources of information and they have various procedures and processes through which they carry out their work. We are hopeful and confident that the information available to them at the moment that they will be in a position to determine when to declare him wanted if they don’t know where he is. Some people took Hudu Ari out of Yola on the day he actually made the so-called declaration. So, there should be some leads to where the Resident Electoral Commissioner is. The Commissioner of Police was with him at the purported declaration, a director in the Department of State Services was with him during the purported declaration and some people took him out of the collation centre. So, some of those individuals have a lead or information on his whereabouts.”

Okoye also addressed the claims by the All Progressives Congress candidate in the Adamawa State governorship election, Aisha Dahiru, aka Binani, that INEC officials held nocturnal meetings with the incumbent governor who was eventually declared the winner of the election.

“Since she has made the allegation, it is incumbent on her to provide evidence of such nocturnal meeting to the investigation authorities and to the police, and she has a responsibility to do that. Do you also know that it is an offence for an individual to know about the commission of an offence and hoard such information from the police and authorities?” He said.

The Punch

Featured

Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

4 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

Featured

DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

6 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.

Featured

Shiites Protest in Kano over Killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Eric

Members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, on Sunday, took to the streets of Kano metropolis to protest the killing of the Supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following a joint attack by the US-Israel on Saturday.

The demonstrators, who are simply known as Shiites, trooped out in their numbers at about 2.30pm in and trekked from the Fegge Central Mosque the Islamic Movement headquarters situated at Kofar Waika in the State capital.

The demonstration, adjudged peaceful, lasted for about two hours, terminating after 4.00pm.

The demonstration was followed by speeches by their scholars that spoke about the state of affairs in the Middle East and its implications on the rest of the world. A special prayer was also offered seeking Allahs intervention for the people of Iran.

The Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abudulhi Haruna Kiyawa, resisted attempts to persuade hims for official reaction to the demonstration.