APC accuses Adamawa Governor, Fintiri of intimidating INEC officials to manipulate Fufore Local Council poll results in his favour

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, of using thugs to intimidate the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The party accused the governor of attempting to manipulate the electoral results of Saturday’s governorship election in the Fufore Local Government Area of the state.

INEC earlier postponed the collation of Adamawa governorship election results from local government areas till noon on Monday.

Prof. Mohammed Mele, State Collation Officer, and Mr Yakubu Ari, Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner, announced this on Monday, following the collation of results from 20 of the 21 LGAs in the state.

They noted that the exercise was postponed to allow for the verification of results from the Fufore Local Government Area.

But according to a statement issued by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Felix Morka, the PDP has used violence, intimidation, and undue pressure to “disrupt the final collation and announcement of the Governorship election results in Adamawa State”.

The statement continued: “We draw urgent attention of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and our security services to massive thuggery, violence, intimidation and undue pressure by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calculated to disrupt final collation and announcement of results of the Governorship election in Adamawa State.

“Election results show a clear and decisive victory for Senator Aishatu Dahiru (Binani), the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate. Faced with imminent and certain prospect of loss in the election, thugs and political actors led by incumbent Governor, and Candidate of the PDP, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, have unleashed heavily armed thugs to disrupt further collation of result and subvert the will of Adamawa people as expressed at the polls.

“The Governor is reported to have torn result sheets at the collation centre in a show of unprecedented impunity and executive brigandage.

“We are well aware of the massive pressure on INEC and law enforcement authorities to cave in to the inordinate demands of the PDP to subvert final collation and announcement of result. However, we are supremely confident that INEC and our law enforcement authorities will stand firm and conclude the election process in the State as required by law.

"The result of election in Fufore Local Government Area of the state must not be tampered with as Senator Aishatu Dahiru (Binani) holds a clear, unassailable lead, only awaiting final collation and declaration by INEC.

"Nigeria is on the cusp of a major democratic record with the election and emergence of the first female Governor of a State in the country. We urge all well-meaning Nigerians to stand together to protect and uphold this historic victory for women and our country."