The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) investigation panel, set up by the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, has summoned Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Adamawa state, to explain his involvement in the gubernatorial election rerun held on April 15, 2023. The investigation panel, chaired by Garba Umar, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police and head of Interpol in Nigeria, has invited Yunusa-Ari to appear before officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Department of State Services (DSS), and the NPF.
Yunusa-Ari had previously declared Aisha Binani Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner, while the collation of results was still ongoing, which caused controversy. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) invalidated the announcement and called the REC to its headquarters in Abuja. INEC wrote to the NPF to prosecute Yunusa-Ari for the electoral infraction. The IGP set up an investigative team to collaborate with INEC on the matter, and on April 20, President Muhammadu Buhari suspended the Adamawa REC pending the completion of the investigation by the police.
Though the Force PRO is yet to confirm this, sources have revealed that the committee invited Yunusa-Ari to the Force Headquarters in Abuja. The Managing Director of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Funmi Eguaoje, stated that the panel consists of officials from the DSS, NPF, and INEC, and that Yunusa-Ari was not invited by the police or Interpol but by the committee.
Yunusa-Ari’s appearance before the panel will enable him to clarify his role in the election rerun and the declaration of the results before the collation was completed. The NPF and INEC remain committed to conducting free and fair elections and bringing electoral offenders to justice, which will ensure that the Nigerian people’s will is reflected in the electoral outcomes