A report has emerged claiming that the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is allegedly angry with its governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Aisha Dahiru Binani, and may sanction her for her role in the controversial polls.
OsunDaily News reports that the Adamawa State governorship election was declared inconclusive on 18 March, prompting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fix a supplementary election for April 15
With many expecting that the supplementary election would produce Nigeria’s first democratically elected female governor, the polls drew controversy when the now suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa, usurped the power of the Returning Officer to announce Binani as the winner of the election.
Despite the controversy and INEC immediately rejecting the declaration, Binani took to a live television broadcast to deliver her acceptance speech, a development the party frowned at.
She went a step further by approaching the Federal High Court in Abuja to institute a suit that sought to compel a declaration that the INEC had no locus standi to upturn an already declared result.
However, the court refused to hear the suit relying on jurisdiction, prompting INEC to use the window to conclude the election with the incumbent governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, declared the winner.
The Returning Officer, Mohammed Mele, declared that Fintiri scored 430, 869 to defeat Binani, who scored 398, 788.
According to The Whistler, top APC members are angry with Binani over her role in the controversy and may call an emergency meeting to decide what to do.
Party leaders told the platform that Binani did not open any line of communication with the party leadership in Abuja on handling the rescheduled supplementary election, which she lost, but instead worked with a few people outside the party structure.
A member of the National Working Committee expressed anger that Binani was allegedly implicated in a N2 billion bride scandal to “rig the Adamawa election at all cost” without the party’s knowledge.
The APC leadership blamed the lawmaker for quickly accepting the “illegal declaration of the result” and for delivering an acceptance speech to the party’s chagrin.
According to the ruling party, there is no excuse whatsoever to tender here as she was “consumed by her personal ambition” than following the laid down procedures, laws, and guidelines guiding the conduct and declaration of results.
The NWC member said the party is aggrieved because what played out in Adamawa is now seen as a grand plot by the party.
He said a special meeting would be convened “to deal with the matter, and she could be sanctioned.
“Most appalling is the N2 billion that was said to have been given to a deputy DSS officer in order for Hudu to rig the election.
“The APC does not know that money. Binani must explain. And that is our anger because Nigerians would think that is the nature of our party.
“Look at the social media! See the abuse and criticism! She (Binani) failed our party, and it would not go just like that.”
Asked about the nature of sanction the party might slam on Binani, the source said, “We can’t say, but the party has a mechanism to mete out sanctions. That would be left for the party.”
