TMG demands prosecution of INEC staff indicted for electoral offences

Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja

A coalition of over 400 civil society organizations under the aegis of Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has called on security agencies to prosecute all staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicted for any wrongdoing in the last general elections.

The coalition also demanded that the indicted INEC staff should not be included in the supplementary elections scheduled for today.

Chairperson of TMG and Executive Director of Women Advocates Rights and Documentation Centre, Dr. Abiola Akiyode – Afolabi, who made the demands in a statement issued in Bauchi on Friday ahead of the supplementary polls, stressed the need to ensure that the mistakes inherent in the earlier conducted governorship elections in the affected states are not repeated.

“INEC must ensure that the mistakes inherent in the earlier conducted governorship elections in the affected states are not repeated as we also call on all political parties to refrain from actions that will further overheat the polity or jeopardize the exercise.

“The only way to preclude electoral irregularities is for all stakeholders to synergize and together keep an eye of the entire process. INEC personnel indicted of any wrongdoing in the last elections should not be included in the supplementary elections,” Akiyode- Afolabi emphasized.

She recalled that the public had continued to evaluate the March 9 governorship elections in Nigeria, which were declared inconclusive by INEC, following irregularities and significant incidents of violence in the affected states, which necessitated cancellations of some of the results.

The TMG stated that supplementary elections in the affected states have been scheduled by INEC in line with the decision of the commission as laid down in Sections 26 and 53 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and the commission’s regulations and guidelines for the conduct of the elections.

Akiyode-Afolabi said “security agencies, particularly the police must be reminded that their ultimate responsibility and loyalty is to the people; therefore, they must conduct themselves in a manner that will not in any way compromise the sanctity of the elections.

“As a people, we must understand that nothing can be achieved in an atmosphere of violence and lawlessness; we must all work together to prevent any future violence.”  

Daily Times recalls that INEC had scheduled the supplementary elections for Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Plateau, Kano and Sokoto states.