The Adamawa State Government has finally sued suspended state Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Hudu Ari-Yunusa to answer for his act in the last general election.
Hudu had stired up trouble during the last governorship election in the state when as then-REC, usurped the power of the returning officer by announcing a winner of the election even when collation was yet to be concluded.
His employer, INEC, had suspended him and later charged him to court but the suit has been dragging as Hudu kept evading the court, excusing himself from every adjournment, often pleading ill-health.
The state government has now approached the state high court, slamming a three-count charge on the evasive former REC.
It is seeking a speedy conviction of Hudu, asking the court presided over by Justice Benjamin Lawan, to try him on charges of disturbance of public peace, conduct likely to cause breach of peace, and impersonating a public officer.
The three charges are separate from the six leveled by the Federal Government through INEC in the pending first suit against Hudu.
The suit by the state government, which was mentioned at state high court at the weekend, came as a predictable result of a pronouncement made earlier by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri.
Fintiri had in a reaction to the Supreme Court judgment of January 31, 2024 affirming his election and berating Hudu over his illegal role, vowed that Hudu must be tried.
He had emphasized that those with a right to prosecute Hudu and his cohorts would be failing democracy if they did nothing about it.
Adamawa govt sues suspended REC, Hudu