The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims made by the Socio-economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) that its chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, violated a court order concerning the prosecution of electoral offenders.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, issued a statement on Wednesday in Abuja addressing the media reports from SERAP. He noted that the Commission was accused of failing to prosecute electoral offenders related to the 2023 General Election.
SERAP specifically criticized INEC for not hiring independent attorneys to pursue cases against unnamed Governors and Deputy Governors for various electoral law violations, as well as for not engaging private lawyers to tackle issues like vote buying during the elections. INEC responded that these claims are false and contradict publicly available information.
In its response, INEC emphasized that Governors and Deputy Governors enjoy constitutional immunity from prosecution, suggesting that SERAP should be aware of this legal protection. The Commission also stated that there have been no arrests or investigations leading to a prima facie case against any of these officials.
Moreover, INEC highlighted that following the 2023 General Election, it received 215 case files from the Nigeria Police concerning alleged violations of electoral laws. This included 52 files with 238 alleged offenders from the Presidential and National Assembly elections, and 163 files involving 536 suspects from the Governorship and State Assembly elections.
INEC affirmed its dedication to prosecuting electoral offenders, stating that this commitment extends to its own officials, some of whom, including a Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), are currently facing prosecution in a High Court in Yola.