INEC must make example of Adamawa REC – Hong, ex-minister

A former Minister of State for Health and Peoples Democratic Party agent for the Adamawa State governorship election, Dr Idi Hong, shares with HINDI LIVINUS his thoughts on the election and the drama that followed it

How will summarise the drama at the collation centre on Sunday morning when the Resident Electoral Commission, Yunusa Hudu-Ari, declared Senator Aishatu Binani of the All Progressives Congress the winner of the election?

I will summarise it as a nightmare and a comedy which at last the Independent National Electoral Commission headquarters, through its timely intervention, declared as null and void. It was a criminal behaviour by the REC, supported by the police, the Director of the DSS in Adamawa State and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps. What they tried to do was a treasonable offense and a civilian coup d’etat. We will call on the Nigerian Bar Association and legal luminaries to examine what transpired in Adamawa State and the role of every actor in this charade, which trampled on democratic tenet and sought to truncate the nation’s democracy because of the greed and selfishness of a few people who have no issues if the society goes up in flames. It is important to commend what INEC and other key stakeholders have done in the wake of this democratic coup. Adamawa State could be far away from Abuja but we are close to God. It was the real hands of God that salvaged the situation at every stage. With the way the plot was contrived and the manner they were being exposed, it could only have been the handwork of God. Everyone could see her desperation; she has broken laws and even went criminal reading an acceptance speech when she didn’t win the election.

Some people said the REC must have been under pressure, do you think that could have been the case?

Certainly, he was. On March 18, while the collation was ongoing, the REC was for a long time on phone call, giving the phone to the Collation Officer and the Administrative Secretary as well as the security personnel present. That means there was a directive and instruction coming from somewhere. When I got tired of that interference, I stood up and collected the microphone and said we were tired of your telephone calls. I told him to be reminded that the election was conducted in Adamawa and the results would be declared there, regardless of the phone calls or directive from above. Even with that, he continued to put pressure on the collation officer. I have already vindicated the returning officer, Professor Mohammed Mele, because left for that man, he would have made a declaration that day considering the safe margin of lead by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri at the first ballot on March 19. Some people are saying the N2bn he (allegedly) received was what drove him to do all the things he did, but I think as a human being, no matter how greedy you are, there are certain monies you cannot swallow. While inducement must have been partly responsible for the REC’s action, there must have been some extraneous forces somewhere giving him 100 per cent assurance that all will be well.

Are you saying the forces you alleged were backing him made him not to recuse himself?

I don’t want to sound evangelistic on this issue, but everything I said about this man has come to pass. From the first day, we lost confidence in him. Secondly, he was caught on record calling the officer of a collation centre to doctor results in favour of the lady. What reason did INEC have to bring him back here if they were not also culpable. I believe history will unveil everything.

Why did you say you had doubts from the beginning?

When the polls, which ordinarily had been won by Governor Fintiri, was declared inconclusive, it showed that we were contesting against the All Progressives Congress and INEC. APC members were presiding officers and assistant presiding officers, polling clerks, returning officers and supervisors. The REC had said the supplementary election would be conducted 100 per cent by the staff of the commission and there would be no recruitment of ad hoc staff. We arrested members of the APC who were sent as presiding officers to some local governments. These were persons who were in the campaign council of Senator Ishaku Abbo, we got the same people in Michika Local Government Area and we were able to establish it with evidence and in a few cases they were replaced. Also, Hudu promised to follow the guidelines in which results from the polling units will be collated and moved to the ward, and then the local government and finally the state collation centre. After the election, he changed the goal post, saying results from the polling units should be taken to Yola, his Dougirei office. That is what we have not told Nigerians. He said it was because of insecurity. Lest we forget, in the first two elections, there were elections in 4009 polling units and election materials reached the local governments by Friday no matter how far. But in this one, election only held in 69 units, materials were not distributed until Saturday morning when elections were supposed to start by 8am. That was why in some places, elections had yet to start at 2pm but we deployed our agents to monitor the process. Hudu had some invisible hands pushing him and it is now left for the law to take its course.

Do you have an idea of those behind the plot as you alleged?

I don’t know. But since the die is now cast, he would have to say who those people are. He has to save his skin now. I have hope that the law will catch up with him. There is hope for Nigeria. No matter where Hudu goes, the full wrath of the law will take its course and INEC is duty bound to make a strong example of Hudu to give assurances to Nigerians and deter their staff and ad hoc workers from misbehaving. The APC candidate also should be held accountable if Hudu will be held accountable. Being a senator, her actions also show that some of the authors of our laws don’t believe in it.

Some persons have accused your party members and supporters of being behind the attack on the INEC National Commissioner. What do you say to that?

Don’t blame our party members, it was mob action. Every reasonable person will be sad and sorry for what happened to the national commissioner. What saddened me more was that this is a reputable, knowledgeable, honourable and honest man. He’s somebody with an impeccable pedigree, and we have tendered our apologies. The governor has apologised. Those behind the REC’s action didn’t mind if Adamawa was going to implode as long as that woman was declared the governor. That was what gave her that kind of confidence. Such confidence was not ordinary.

Some people have alleged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was targeted so as to humiliate him. Do you also subscribe to that accident?

There is a reasoning somewhere that there is a certain bloc in the APC who feels that Waziri (Atiku) remains a threat to them and they want to humiliate him politically. They feel if they put us in shame by defeating us they have killed his political star. It is not true. Waziri has stood firm and said the right thing must be done.

The APC said the governor has been taught never to underrate the opposition, to what extent did this development shake him?

Let me make an honest confession; sometimes I don’t feel comfortable with the type of confidence Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has. Even when you are seeing glaring danger, he feels completely composed and in charge. At some point, I would ask if he was okay and he would say nothing would happen. He has been calm, stable and a true leader. If not for his confidence and stability of mind, he could have taken some advice and we would have taken action. Thank God he salvaged the situation by not giving in to pressure or illogical decisions. Fintiri is really a leader.

Some people are of the view that if the governor had performed well he wouldn’t have to struggle to get re-election. Isn’t that a possibility?

I am a very good student of history and I have very good mentoring. Elections are not won based on performance. It is the special grace of God and some reasonable people who think that you have done well. My Oga, (Prof Jubril Aminu) used to say you don’t win elections based on past gratitude, you win elections based on what you are doing now. I committed myself to this course because I knew Fintiri has done remarkably well. Every rational person should support him, so that at least we should get the sustainability of progress and development under him. When I returned to the PDP from the APC, I said a working formula should not be changed midway, and that was what we stood by. Going by performance, Fintiri has outdone all the governors that have ruled from the old Gongola State till date.

Binani has gone to court to seek a review, where do you think all of these would lead to?

I am not a lawyer but we need to reform the judicial system, or how can somebody who does not respect the law go and look for justice to get protection. If we continue like this, one day, somebody will come to your family house, kill your father, kill your mother and run to court and ask the court to punish you for allowing him to kill your father and mother. That is what she is doing. I hope the judiciary understands where we are because they are trying to desecrate the judicial system. I think she and the lawyer who even accepted that brief should be punished because they are trying to desecrate the judicial system. There is a portion of the Electoral Act that says only the tribunal can hear election matters, yet she went to court when the election had been conducted, it was being collated and about to be declared and she ran to court.