2019 polls: Police make 58 high profile arrests

…As Yakubu renews call for election offences tribunal

Tunde Opalana, Abuja

The Police on Tuesday said it arrested 58 high profile Nigerians for different electoral offences during the 2019 general election.

Twenty five of the 58 arrests were made during the Presidential and National Assembly elections, 17 during gubernatorial election and 14 during other polls.

The disclosure was made by the Deputy Inspector General in-charge of Operations, Abdulmajid Ali, during the opening ceremony of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) in continuation of the review of the 2019 general election at the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

DIG Ali, who stood in for Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, at the forum, said out of the 58 arrest, 39 have been conclusively investigated and concluded and charged to courts while the remaining 19 are pending.

The police boss commended other security agencies, particularly the military for the cooperation given to the police and INEC during the last election.

He added that there is no gain saying that the experiences of last general election and the relationship with INEC and the police and other security agencies, was quite cordial.

The ICCES forum, he posited, has presented a veritable forum for official interaction at strategic level for both agencies as well as other relevant security agencies towards exchanging professional ideas on electoral duties and election functions.

As INEC prepares for the governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states, Ali emphasised need for training and development of security personnel as very important before the elections.

“I want to also assure that the Nigeria Police and other security agencies are ever ready to put more efforts in ensuring that the forthcoming governorship elections will be free and fair, and credible,” he pledged.

Meanwhile, National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, at the occasion, renewed his call for the establishment of the Elections Offences Tribunal as a way of creating crisis free elections.

He called for legislative backing for the establishment, saying: “I wish to renew the call for the establishment of the Electoral Offences Tribunal.

We shall work with the National Assembly to ensure the passage of a private members Bill sponsored in the Senate by the former Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Abubakar Kyari and in the House of Representatives by Hon. Francis Charles Uduyok.

“Their effort was reinforced by an Executive Bill submitted to the National Assembly arising from the report of the Ken Nnamani Committee on Electoral Reform.

The truth is that democracy and credible elections will be deepened where electoral offenders are swiftly prosecuted.

For instance, in the recent general elections in South Africa held in May 2019, some electoral offenders were arrested and swiftly charged to court even before the election was concluded.

He said election security is necessary because election is the biggest peacetime activity in Nigeria involving millions of people as voters, election officials, candidates, observers and the media (national and international), party agents, transporters and a range of other service providers.

As the forthcoming governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states are scheduled to hold on Saturday 16th November 2019, Yakubu warned political parties and political actors to avoid violence as the Commission in conjunction with security agencies will not tolerate disruption of electoral processes.

He said: “Given the history of political violence, resulting in the governorship elections declared inconclusive in the two states in 2015, the Commission is concerned about the safety of our personnel, properties and the sanctity of the electoral process.

“The politicians in Bayelsa and Kogi must shed off the toga of political violence associated with elections in the two states. I am glad to note the peace efforts in Bayelsa State through a broad-based Stakeholders Summit on Violence-free elections.

“I am also glad that some concerned leaders in Kogi State are considering a similar initiative. I want to assure all well-meaning leaders of Bayelsa and Kogi States that the Commission will work with them to ensure peaceful and credible polls.

“I also wish to assure all voters in the two states that INEC will protect the integrity of the electoral process and ensure that the will of the people prevails.

We will also work with the security agencies to ensure professionalism and neutrality in strict compliance with their rules of engagement.”