The Independent National Electoral Commission has disclosed that the embattled former Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, is no longer on its payroll.
This revelation comes amid growing concerns over the stalled prosecution of the former official, who faces charges related to electoral misconduct.
Yunusa-Ari was suspended by INEC after he illegally declared the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Aishatu Binani, as the winner of the Adamawa State governorship election on April 16, 2023.
The REC made the announcement while the collation of results was still going on, with incumbent governor and Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Ahmadu Fintiri, leading in the number of votes counted.
Following his suspension from office and a comprehensive investigation by the Nigeria Police Force on the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari, Yunusa-Ari was arraigned at the State High Court in Yola.
Speaking on the matter to Saturday PUNCH, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, clarified that Ari ceased to be on the commission’s payroll after his suspension in 2023.
“His arraignment and prosecution is now a matter for the court and the law enforcement agencies.
“Yunusa-Ari has not been on the payroll of the Commission since August 2023 when he was charged to court. No remuneration has been paid to him since then,” Oyekanmi said.
Meanwhile, the lawyer handling the case on behalf of INEC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, accused the police of frustrating efforts to prosecute Yunusa-Ari.
According to Jacobs, despite multiple court orders and a bench warrant for the suspect’s arrest, the police have refused to produce him in court.
“The police have refused to act on the judge’s orders to produce the suspect. All efforts to bring him to court have been ignored. This has left everyone — the judge, the court, INEC, and the prosecution — frustrated,” Jacobs told Saturday PUNCH.
Jacobs noted that INEC, under the leadership of its chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had made significant efforts to ensure Ari’s prosecution, but the lack of cooperation from the police has derailed the process.
“I have seen what INEC did, particularly the chairman, to ensure that Ari is prosecuted but all efforts were frustrated by the police,” he lamented.
He stressed that the police’s role in arresting the suspect and presenting witnesses is crucial to moving the case forward. (Punch)
