The gubernatorial candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the recently concluded election in Adamawa State, Dr Umar Ardo has alleged that a broadcast made by President Muhammadu Buhari soliciting support for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed Binani affected the poll negatively.
In an interview with Daily Trust, Ardo asserted that the broadcast, which was made in Hausa language, influenced some federal government agencies in the state to work for the APC candidate.
According to him, some security agencies, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and even broadcast stations in the country were influenced by the broadcast.
He argued that the election, which was concluded through a re-run, was far from being free and fair, alleging that the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, marred the poll via thuggery and vote buying.
He said, “The election was not fair in the sense that, first and foremost the APC candidate, we saw the President, you know Buhari made a national broadcast in Hausa asking the people of Adamawa to go and vote for Binani and that he had worked with Binani in PTF (defunct Petroleum Trust Fund) and Binani was good and this and that, I have no problem with that.
“But the fallout of that presidential broadcast is what I had a problem with because from the moment the President made that broadcast, the entire agencies, federal agencies in Adamawa State tilted towards her.
“I am talking about the military, I am talking about the police, I am talking about INEC, I am talking about DSS, I am talking about the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission”.
Media Talk Africa reports that despite the controversies that trailed the election, the governorship poll was concluded on Tuesday last week as INEC declared the incumbent governor, Ahmadu Fintiri winner.
