The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says
one of its national commissioners was “stripped n@ked and dragged” while on
election duty in Adamawa state.
A video made the rounds on Sunday purportedly showing an INEC
official stripped to his underwear.
While addressing reporters later in the day, Festus Okoye,
chairman, information and voter education committee, said the assaulted
national commissioner is a former vice-chancellor of Usman Danfodiyo University
(UDUS), Sokoto.
Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, a former VC of UDUS and Kebbi State
University of Science and Technology, was appointed INEC national commissioner
in 2021.
Okoye said the national commissioner was treated like a
“common criminal” for doing his job.
He said the electoral body will not allow the assault to
stand while he called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute the
perpetrators.
Okoye said: “If you see what is trending, two national
commissioners were deployed to Adamawa state. One of them was brutalised, and
one of them was stripped naked. That will not be allowed to stand.
“The security
agencies must unmask those who engaged in that particular act. They must be
arrested, investigated and prosecuted.
“A national commissioner cannot be treated like a common
criminal. A former VC of Usman Danfodiyo University, a senior citizen was
stripped naked and dragged.
“This commission will not allow that to stand and the
chairman of the commission is viewing this with the seriousness it deserves.
So, all the people who engaged in this particular act, the security agencies
must unmask them.”
Commenting on the “illegal” declaration of a winner by Hudu
Yinusa-Ari, the resident electoral commissioner in Adamawa, Okoye said the REC
will face a panel to explain his actions.
“But for what the REC
has done, we have summoned him to Abuja and he must appear. Then the commission
will sit and take a decision on further collation of results and what to do
with the REC,” he said.
“Ten LGAs have been collated, the commission adjourned to
reconvene, only for the REC to emerge and arrogated himself the task of being a
returning officer and purportedly made a declaration.
“Whatever he did was illegal, null and void. It has been
rendered useless by the commission.”
Recall that the REC declared Aisha ‘Binani’
Dahiru, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the
election.
Mele Lamido, the returning officer for the governorship
election, is the INEC official empowered by law to declare a winner.
The electoral body has since suspended the collation of
results and summoned the REC and returning officer to its headquarters in
Abuja.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com