Again, INEC Suspends Collation of Adamawa Governorship Election Result

For the second time in as many elections within two months, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has suspended collation of election result in Adamawa state.

The incident took place on Sunday with the announcement by the electoral body that it has suspended collation of the supplementary governorship election held on Saturday. 

The suspension is contained in a statement issued by the electoral body on Sunday. 

Before the suspension, result from 10 of 20 council areas had been collated, with incumbent governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bello Finitri winning 7 of them.

Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hajia Aishatu Ahmed, was announced to have won three.

But the state Resident Electoral Commission declared the APC governorship candidate the winner of the election.

In its statement however, INEC, through its National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education, Barrister Festus Okoye, slammed the action of the Adamawa REC, describing it as a usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer.

“The attention of the Commission has been drawn to a purported declaration of winner in the Adamawa Governorship election by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) even when the process has clearly not been concluded,” Okoye wrote in the statement. 

“The action of the Resident Electoral Commission is a usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer.

“It is null, void and of no effect. Consequently, the collation of results of the supplementary election is hereby suspended," he added. 

INEC has since summoned the REC, Returning Officer and all involved in the election to its Headquarters in Abuja.