The suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Barr. Hudu Ari, has once more failed to appear before the Adamawa State High Court presided by Hon. Justice Benjamin Manji Lawan on Wednesday.
Recall THE WHISTLER had reported Ari who reportedly went into hiding also failed to appear in court during the last hearing.
He reportedly moved to Niger Republic to join one of his wives, court heard.
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The REC went into hiding after the immediate past President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, ordered his arrest after he declared the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Aishatu Binani, winner of the Adamawa gubernatorial election while the process was still ongoing.
Ari is facing 6-count charges bordering on electoral offences slammed against him by the INEC.
However, Ari’s lawyer, Dr. Suleiman Usman, a senior advocate of Nigeria, told the court that he knew the whereabout of his client, stating that Ari has two wives; one of them resides in Bauchi State, Nigeria, while the other lives in Niger Republic respectively, and so Ari was with his other wife in Niger.
Meanwhile, despite his lawyer’s assurance that the embattled REC would appear in court at the sitting yesterday, the lawyer came up with another excuse that Ari was in Sokoto for other electoral cases in court, adding that he couldn’t make it to Yola, to stand the trial.
The lawyer produced a letter in that effect to convince the court about his inability to appear in court while asking for the adjournment of the sitting.
Meanwhile, when announcing his appearance earlier, the prosecution, F. T. Ekyaan, told the court that he received a letter from the defendant through his counsel asking for another adjournment.
Ekyaan did not hold any objection to the said letter based on the reasons given and therefore prayed the court to adjourn the matter to another date.