FRI, JULY 07 2023-theGBJournal | The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Thursday slammed a six-count charge on Barr. Yunusa Ari, the former Resident Electoral Commissioner who nearly rigged the Adamawa State election.
The Commission said in a statement that it established a prima facie case against Ari and a court has fixed Wednesday 12th July for commencement of his trail after reviewing the case file from the Nigeria Police.
The Commission noted that it had earlier (Tuesday 4th July, 2023) confirmed the receipt of case files from the Nigeria Police following the conclusion of investigation into alleged electoral offences during the 2023 General Election, including the one involving Ari and assured immediate action on the matter.
Recall that Ari had declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Aisha ‘Binani’ Dahiru as the winner of the supplementary poll while the collation of results was ongoing, a decision INEC nullified.
The declaration sparked widespread outraged that forced the then President Muhammadu Buhari to order his suspension and subsequent prosecution.
INEC then wrote the Nigeria Police, asking it to investigate the matter.
The case will be tried at a Magistrate Court or a High Court in Adamawa as provided by Section 145 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022.
Explaining the reason for the filing the charges at the Court in Adamawa, Okoye said, “as provided by Section 145(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, an offence committed under the Act shall be triable in a Magistrate Court or a High Court of a State in which the offence is committed, or the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Furthermore, Section 145(2) of the Act provides that a prosecution under the Act shall be undertaken by legal officers of the Commission, or any legal practitioner appointed by it.”
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