Police Invite Adamawa REC, Hudu, Over Dramatic Declaration

Nigeria Police Force (NPF) investigation panel set up by the inspector-general of police (IGP) Usman Baba has invited the suspended resident electoral commissioner (REC) in Adamawa State Hudu Yunusa-Ari, to explain his role in the 2023 gubernatorial elections rerun crisis on April 15, 2023.

Though there is no official confirmation from the Force Headquarters, investigation showed that the panel headed by the assistant inspector-general of police and head of INTERPOL in Nigeria, Garba Umar, invited Yunusa-Ari to show up at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

However, the spokesperson of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Funmi Eguaoje, said Hudu would appear before officials of INEC, the Department of States Services (DSS) and the NPF.

Eguaoje said, “There was a committee constituted to investigate, which included INEC and the police. AIG Umar is the chairman of that committee.

“He (Yunusa-Ari) was not invited by police or INTERPOL so to say. He was invited by the committee. The committee comprises officials of the DSS, NPF and INEC,” Eguaoje said.

Yunusa-Ari had stirred controversy by declaring All Progressives Congress (AP) governorship candidate Aisha Binani Dahiru as the winner when the collation of the results was yet to be completed.

INEC subsequently declared his action null and void and summoned the REC to its headquarters in Abuja.

The commission later wrote to the (NPF to investigate and prosecute Yunusa-Ari over the electoral infraction.

The IGP thereafter asked an investigative team to work in collaboration with INEC on the matter.

On April 20, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the suspension of the Adamawa REC pending the completion of the investigation by the police.

A day later, INEC said it was not aware of the whereabouts of Yunusa-Ari.