Politics
HUDU SAVED INEC FROM NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT
HUDU SAVED INEC FROM NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT
Sahara Weekly Reports That about one week now, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Adamawa State, Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari, attracted the news headlines for declaring the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed Dahiru Binani, the winner of the supplementary governorship election.
While Hudu’s action under the circumtance is seen by many Nigerians, including lawyers, as legal and within his powers as the State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), the PDP and INEC questioned his authority.
For those who are condemning Hudu’s action, I dare say that the REC saved INEC from a repeat national embarrassment of the Commission in the 2019 governorship election of the same Adamawa state.
Just like in 2023, INEC declared the 2019 governorship election inconclusive. INEC embarrassed itself when the returning officer (Prof. Andrew Haruna) in the 2019 governorship declared the election inconclusive by relying on the provision of the number of registered voters (40,988) being higher than the margin of lead(32,476 votes) by one of the candidates not to declare a winner or make a return.
With the use of PVC as the only identity of a voter to be eligible to vote, INEC ought to have relied on the number of PVCs collected out of the registered voters of 40,988 in the polling units where the election did not hold or was canceled. The number of PVCs collected out of 40,988 registered voters, which INEC ought to have relied upon to arrive at the right decision in the 2019 governorship election, was 31,027.
What this means is that the 2019 governorship election should not have been declared inconclusive by INEC since the margin of lead was 32,476 while the PVCs collected for the rerun were 31,027. Yet INEC went ahead to conduct a rerun election when the number of eligible voters (with PVCs) for the election was less than the margin of lead in the election.
The Commission’s flawed judgment cost the federal government human and material resources that were avoidable. A later amendment to the Electoral Act is the result of INEC’s embarrassment in handling the 2019 Adamawa governorship election.
It is a repeat of this national embarrassment by INEC in the 2019 governorship in the Adamawa state that Hudu wanted to avoid in the 2023 election by being proactive and decisive. Like in 2019, there was no reason to have declared the 2023 election inconclusive if the issue of the multiple results from Fufore was courageously resolved.
Reports had it that the result that was used by the returning officer to declare the governorship election inconclusive was one of the multiple results from Fufore. It was the result that was allegedly declared under duress by the electoral officer. Agents of the state government along with security agents were said to have laid siege on the INEC office of the Fufore Local Government and forced the electoral officer to declare the result that was eventually used by the state returning officer.
A rerun election was ordered. Hudu knew very well that a particular authentic result from Fufore that would have brought the election to a conclusion was ignored. Hudu could not have stopped the rerun election after it was pronounced by the returning officer.
However, the REC, as a lawyer, located his powers under Section 149 of the Electoral Act and decided to act even before the end of the collation of the results of the rerun election. He used the correct result from Fufore, which showed that Sen. Binani won the election with 428, 173 votes against her opponent’s 422,303 votes.
Like in 2019, if the correct thing was done, the 2023 governorship election wouldn’t have been declared inconclusive. Hudu is the hero and not the villain in the 2023 Adamawa Governorship election. We expect INEC to take a look at the role of RECs as the State Chief Returning Officer in the governorship election.
Signed;
Martins Yanatham Dickson.
Member, Media Committee Binani Governorship Campaign Organisation.
*Renewed Hope Ambassadors Step Into the Next Phase
Fresh from the successful APC 2026 National Convention, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors National, Zonal, and State leadership gathered in Abuja over the weekend, for its fourth strategic meeting, setting the tone for nationwide grassroots activation ahead of 2027.
Chaired by Governor Hope Uzodinma (Imo State) the Director General and National Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors, alongside Deputy Director-General, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, and Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State as Secretary, the session reinforced one clear direction: One Party. One Message. One Mobilization whilst also laying out a strategic roadmap for the activation of the network across all communities in Nigeria.
Backed by the strength of 31 APC-led states, the Renewed Hope Agenda is taking Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s message of progress and reform to every corner of Nigeria.
From bold economic restructuring to initiatives like NELFUND, the increase in the national minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000, and strategic investments in critical sectors, including PNiCGI, the mission remains clear: helping Nigerians understand both the purpose and the progress of the Renewed Hope vision.
This is coordination at scale. This is grassroots engagement with purpose. This is the next phase of Renewed Hope with One Party, One Message, and One Mobilisation framework
#RenewedHopeAmbassadors #APC #WeAreAPC
Governor Bago Inaugurates APC Digital Media Sub-Committee Ahead of National Convention.
Governor Umaru Bago has inaugurated the Digital Media Sub-Committee for the forthcoming National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), scheduled to hold on March 27 and 28, 2026 in Abuja.
Chairing the sub-committee, Governor Bago tasked members with the responsibility of effectively communicating the party’s manifesto to the public.
He emphasized the need to leverage social media platforms to highlight the achievements and ongoing efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noting that communication gaps have posed challenges that must now be decisively addressed.
The Co-Chair of the sub-committee, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, echoed the Governor’s position, urging members to project the activities of both the party and the government to a broader audience.
He called for a deliberate and coordinated effort to showcase the party’s achievements and policy direction, stressing the importance of shaping a compelling and consistent narrative across all digital platforms.
Delivering a presentation to the committee, Otega Ogra, SSA to the President on New Media, who serves as Secretary of the sub-committee, outlined strategic focus areas to guide the team’s operations.
His presentation highlighted communication priorities and actionable steps to achieve the committee’s mandate and strengthen the party’s digital engagement.
VP Shettima Set to Lead Delegation to Zamfara as Governor Dauda Lawal Formally Joins APC
The Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has finalized plans to receive Vice President Kashim Shettima for the formal defection and reception of Governor Dauda Lawal into the ruling party, scheduled to take place on Tuesday.
State APC Chairman, Tukur Danfulani Maikatako, disclosed this during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting held in Gusau, the state capital. He noted that the Vice President would be joined by the party’s national leadership to mark what he described as a landmark political realignment in the state.
Maikatako expressed the party’s excitement over Governor Lawal’s return, recalling that Zamfara had historically been an APC stronghold and that the Governor was previously a bona fide member of the party before his earlier exit.
“We all know that Zamfara has long been one of the APC’s stronghold states, where the defected Governor was once a bona fide member. Now that he has decided to return home, having been satisfied that the APC remains his second choice after the one he left for obvious reasons,” Maikatako stated.
The Chairman called on all party faithful across the 147 wards in the state’s 14 local government areas to turn out en masse to honour the Vice President’s visit. He emphasized that the event was strategically positioned to bolster the party’s popularity and strengthen its structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a strong appeal for unity, Maikatako urged members to set aside all factional tendencies, stressing that the APC remained one political family with shared goals, particularly the ambition to make Zamfara and Nigeria great again.
Echoing similar sentiments, a former state APC Chairman, Lawal M. Liman, appealed to members to cascade the message to their wards and local government areas. He reinforced the need for cohesion, noting that the party’s collective strength would be critical to achieving success in future elections.
All eyes are now on Gusau as the ruling party prepares for a high-profile political gathering expected to further consolidate its influence in Zamfara State.
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