Binani denies bribery allegations in Adamawa governorship election

Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa State, has denied allegations of bribing an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

This comes after the declaration of the March 18 poll as inconclusive over alleged irregularities, leading to a supplementary election on Saturday.

The collation of election results was suspended until Sunday after results from 10 LGAs were announced. However, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, declared Binani as the winner before the announcement of the remaining LGAs.

Following the declaration, reports emerged that the APC candidate had given INEC officials N2 billion to be announced as the winner.

INEC subsequently discontinued the exercise and described the action of the REC as null and void, emphasizing that the declaration of a winner is the responsibility of the returning officer.

On Tuesday, INEC commenced the collation of election results in the state, and Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was announced as the winner.

In a statement issued on Tuesday evening, Binani denied the allegations of bribery, calling them “very bizarre, unfounded and wild allegations”.

She reiterated her commitment to democracy and stated, “I never did, I would never do such.:

Binani added: “I wish to reiterate that I am a democrat. I have always been a committed democrat and will never do anything to subvert the democratic process. I am not a do-or-die politician. In the past, I have won elections into the house of representatives and the senate in a free and fair manner.”

She also expressed her concerns about the events leading to the declaration, stating, “What happened in Adamawa was an unsuccessful attempt to subvert the will of the people.”

She alleged that the REC was illegally told to stand down by two INEC national commissioners from Abuja who were supposed to be in Adamawa in a supervisory capacity.

Binani also raised questions about the nocturnal visit of some INEC national officers to the Adamawa State Government House and the bizarre declaration the same day after the visit that they have taken over the collation through the backdoor with the collation and returning officers selected by the governor.

“The roles of these INEC officers from Abuja and the real mission of the two to the Government House should be of interest to all democrats,” she added.

Binani thanked her supporters for their “unflinching support in the midst of half-truths and opposition smear propaganda.”

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