The dismissed Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, has claimed that he has incontrovertible evidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru (popularly called Binani), won the controversial 2023 election.

The embattled REC accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately suppressing the evidence he submitted to the commission to prove his claim.

Addressing reporters in Bauchi at the weekend, Yunusa-Ari alleged that INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and the Election Petition Tribunal ignored critical documents that could have changed the election outcome.

The dismissed REC said he provided official reports and electoral documents detailing massive irregularities to favour Ahmadu Fintiri as the elected governor.

He claimed that the INEC leadership refused to acknowledge his evidence.

“They should have acted immediately, but my report was swept under the carpet,” Yunusa-Ari said.

According to him, INEC’s ICT head in Adamawa State allegedly compromised the election by handing over 20,000 sensitive election materials to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate.

The dismissed REC said the materials were later found in a private home linked to a top government official.

He also accused the Election Petition Tribunal of refusing to consider his testimony and documentary evidence.

“Even an ordinary judge knows that every side must be heard, but they silenced me,” Yunusa-Ari said.

Recently, the Senate granted the request of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to sack the suspended RECs of Adamawa, Abia, and Sokoto states over alleged misconduct.

But Yunusa-Ari faulted his dismissal, claiming that he did not commit any infraction during the election.

Displaying what he claimed were authentic result sheets and letters sent to INEC, Yunusa-Ari insisted that Binani was the rightful winner and that his dismissal was a plot to cover up the truth.

Denying the allegations that he took a N2 billion bribe to declare Binani the winner, Yunusa-Ari said it was a smear campaign against him.

The former REC said he was consulting with his family on his next steps, adding that he was unfairly victimised.

Yunusa-Ari was suspended on April 17, 2023, after declaring Binani the winner of the Adamawa State governorship rerun election while collation was still in progress.

The erstwhile REC said he had no regrets about his action, promising to do the same choice if given the chance again.

According to him, he is on the side of the truth.

“The dismissal is not my problem. The civil service is governed by civil service rules, procedures, and services,” Yunusa-Ari said.