Adamawa poll: Police may invite Binani for questioning
The Nigeria Police have granted administrative bail to the suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Hudu Yunusa-Ari.
The police also withheld his passport as part of preconditions for his administrative bail, restricted his movement to the Federal Capital Territory and directed him to report at the Force Headquarters weekly in continuation of the ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, there are indications that the police may invite the Adamawa State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Aishatu Dahiru, popularly known as Binani, the incumbent governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, and all other concerned persons in the controversy that trailed the April 15 supplementary election.
Our correspondent gathered that a senator stood as surety for Yunusa-Ari who was interrogated and detained for three days at the Force headquarters.
Also released were two commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission and other officials undergoing interrogation at the Force headquarters in connection with the controversy surrounding the April 15 supplementary election in Adamawa.
The INEC commissioners and other officials under probe were also mandated to deposit their passports, and have been restricted to Abuja, while on administrative bail.
The indicted officials, including Yunusa-Ari, were grilled by the Police Election Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Team headed by Assistant Inspector-General of Police and head of Interpol, Nigeria, Garba Umar, and other members of the Police Management Team, including the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba.
It was gathered that the IG during the session queried Yunusa-Ari and others on allegations of bribery during the April 15 supplementary poll wherein the suspended REC declared Binani as the governor-elect when the collation of results had yet to be concluded.
“The suspended REC and other officials being probed have been granted administrative bail, and they’ve been released. The investigation team have interrogated Yunusa-Ari and other suspects, and their passports have been deposited at the FHQ as part of the preconditions for their bail.
“During interrogation, the REC alleged that some INEC officials in Adamawa had midnight meetings with leaders of a particular political party, and allegedly took bribes to manipulate the election results. However, the IG and the investigation team agreed to investigate further,” a top source said on Friday.
When contacted, the investigation team lead, AIG Umar, said he was out of the country.
“I’m currently out of the country, so I can’t say much about the matter. Kindly contact the Force Public Relations Officer,” he said.
The Force PRO, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said Yunusa-Ari was expected to report at the police headquarters every weekday while investigations were ongoing on the matter.
Adejobi added, “The Nigeria Police Force hereby confirms that Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the suspended Adamawa State REC, who has been in custody for interrogations by the police in the course of investigations into allegations of impropriety during the supplementary gubernatorial pools in the state, has been granted administrative bail by the police while investigations subsist.
“He is expected to report at the police headquarters every weekday while investigations are ongoing on the matter.”
