INEC secures conviction of 3 offenders in 2023 election of massive rigging
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Three people who broke the law in the 2023 election have been convicted in court after prosecution by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a laughable effort considering the massive intimidation and rigging perpetrated by known individuals before and during the vote.
For examples, both Bayo Onanuga and Musiliu Akinsanya (alias MC Oluomo) who incited violence against Igbos in Lagos have been rewarded for their lawlessness rather than prosecuted and jailed – thereby encouraging their conduct in future elections.
Onanuga pitched for Bola Tinubu during the campaign and is now a Media Adviser in the Villa, and Oluomo who was the President’s principal thug in Lagos where Igbo voters were brutalised, walks free under the protection of Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu at the behest of Tinubu.
INEC Voter Education and Publicity Director Mary Nkem disclosed the number of convictions at a roundtable for the media and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) organised by the International Press Council (IPC) under the European-Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II) project.
Nkem acknowledged the INEC is handicapped in the arrest and prosecution of electoral offenders but promised the coming reruns and by-elections across the states will be free and fair.
Her words: “It will interest you to know that most of the policies that were used for the 2023 elections emanated from the review we had of the 2019 general elections.
“I stand here to let you know that for the 2023 general elections, all the reports and recommendations that have been harvested, the Commission will look at them critically, and implement the key ones.
“On prosecution of electoral offenders, the Commission does not have the power to arrest. Election is a multi-stakeholder programme. If INEC plays its side and another stakeholder fails, there will be an issue.
“We don’t arrest and investigate. There are organisations that do that. We only prosecute those found culpable when we receive the files. We partner with the EFCC and ICPC.
“It will interest you to know that for the 2023 general elections, we received some case files of electoral offenders and they have been prosecuted and as we speak, about 19 case files were prepared for prosecution and filed for various jurisdiction of courts in Nigeria, three have been completed and convictions secured for the three of them.”
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Yakubu expresses concern over insecurity
In a related development, INEC Chairman Mahmoud Yakubu has expressed concern about insecurity and threats of violence in the run up to the by-elections on February 3, per reporting by The Guardian.
He said he has received reports about the impact of insecurity, worsened by incendiary remarks from political actors.
Yakubu made the disclosure at a meeting of the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in Abuja.
From experience, he stressed, conducting isolated elections can be very challenging.
He explained the by-elections arose from death, resignation of members of the national and state legislatures, and court orders – involving two senatorial districts, and four federal and three state constituencies.
The by-elections will hold in 39 constituencies, translating to 2.6 per cent of the 1,491 constituencies in which elections were conducted in the 2023 general election.
Yakubu also disclosed the INEC has
- Provided the police, as the lead agency in election security, full information about the locations where voting will be held.
- Provided the number of registered voters and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected in each polling unit.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun confirmed the police have conducted threat analysis everywhere the by-elections will hold and deployed adequate security personnel.
