Essential Ndubuisi
A Department of State Services (DSS) official has made a stunning revelation, claiming that Hudu Yunusa, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Adamawa state, received a whopping N2 billion bribe to declare Aishatu Dahiru Binani as the winner of the state’s governorship election.
In a viral video, the DSS officer, identified as Isa, alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate was declared the winner after the REC collected the bribe.
The officer denied being an accomplice in the fraud and clarified that he led a team to arrest the electoral commissioner.
“I told you while we were in the car that the REC collected money running into billions of naira to rig the election. I don’t know the exact amount, but let’s put it at N2 billion,” Isa said.
The governorship election in Adamawa state had been thrown into chaos after the declaration of Binani as the winner of the poll before the completion of the collation of results. However, INEC issued a statement on its official Twitter handle describing the action of the REC as the “usurpation of the power of the Returning Officer.”
The commission suspended the collation of results of the supplementary election and invited the REC, returning officer, and all involved to the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja. A detailed statement is expected to follow shortly.
Meanwhile, the shocking revelation by the DSS officer has further heightened concerns about electoral malpractices and raised questions about the integrity of the electoral process in Nigeria.
