The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the inspector general of police to immediately arrest and prosecute Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the resident electoral commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Adamawa.

The party made the call in a statement by its spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, on Sunday.

PDP said Mr Yunusa-Ari should be arrested for making an illegal declaration of the election result in ‘criminal usurpation of the duties and powers’ of the returning officer, Mohammed Mele, while the collation process was still ongoing.

“It is even more absurd that the Adamawa REC did not only usurp the powers of the returning officer but attempted to declare a winner without figures. He made the attempt in reckless violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC Guidelines, as well as the sensibility of the people of Adamawa State,” said the PDP statement.

The party stated that the conduct of the INEC official confirmed the earlier alarms by the PDP, which demanded his immediate removal from Adamawa.

Mr Yunusa-Ari’s action, the PDP said, was subversive.

“We call on the IGP to immediately arrest Yunusa-Ari and make him face the full wrath of the law for his conduct,” stressed the statement.

The PDP noted the pronouncement by INEC headquarters that the action of the resident electoral commissioner was “null, void and of no effect.”

Therefore, the PDP demanded that INEC headquarters immediately direct the state returning officer to conclude collation and announce the results from the polling units.

The party called on INEC to declare the PDP candidate and the incumbent, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri as the winner, “having scored the majority of lawful votes cast.”

(NAN)