Adamawa REC, who controversially announced the election result.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa Ari, who has generated controversies due to his alleged involvement in a fraudulent declaration of the state governorship election winner, was previously indicted for a 16 billion naira fraud during his tenure as a permanent secretary in the Bauchi State ministry of local government affairs.
Recall that Hudu Yunusa controversially declared former Senator Aishatu Dahiru (Binani) as the governor-elect of Adamawa State while the collation of results was still ongoing in blatant violation of the Nigeria’s Electoral Act 2022 and was suspended by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Further investigation into Hudu Yunusa Ari’s background revealed that he was a public servant in the Bauchi State civil service. He climbed up the ranks and eventually became a permanent secretary in the ministry of local government affairs during the administration of former governor Isa Yuguda.
In January 2016, Muhammad Abubakar, who succeeded Isa Yuguda as governor of Bauchi State, launched a probe and forensic audit into all contracts, expenditures, and appointments made in all the ministries, departments, and agencies between May 2007 and May 2015 when Yuguda was in office.
According to the report of the probe committee released on January 6, 2017, both Isa Yuguda and Hudu Yunusa Ari were indicted. The committee stated that: “the amount claimed to have been expended by the past administration in executing projects did not tally with the records of amount that accrued to the state from June 2007 to May 2015 from the Federation Accounts as contained in documents obtained from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.”
Embattled Adamawa REC.
The report specifically accused Hudu Yunusa Ari of being involved in diverting funds amounting to 16 billion naira from the local governments’ contributions account. The report also implicated Isa Yuguda, along with his former commissioners for local government affairs, former special advisers, former permanent secretaries, and former accountants general (or their representatives) who were all signatories to the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) accounts, and were therefore expected to account for the same 16 billion naira.
A committee established to investigate the alleged misappropriation of funds in the Bauchi State Ministry of Local Government Affairs has recommended that several former officials in the ministry, including Idris Halilu and Abubakar Faggo who served as commissioners, Ado Santurakin Pali and Hudu Ari who were retired permanent secretaries, special advisers, former accountants general, and Aliyu Mohammed, the Director of Finance and Accounts, should account for 3.5 billion naira.
This sum was reportedly withdrawn without justification by Mohammed Musa, who was the Cashier to the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) account.
The committee noted that during the period under review, significant payments were made in the Ministry of Local Government Affairs without appropriate payment vouchers, as revealed in its report.
Furthermore, the committee stated that an amount of N88.2 billion was illegally remitted from the Ministry of Local Government Affairs from its Federation Account Allocations to various MDAs from June 2007 to May 2015, and should be recovered from Isa Yuguda, Hudu Yunusa Ari, and other past top government officials. The matter was subsequently referred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for prosecution, but not much has been heard about it since then.