INEC Chair Nominee Asked To Make Prosecuting Electoral Crimes Top Priority

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) on Sunday asked the newly nominated chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan to “prioritise and ensure the effective prosecution of politicians and their sponsors who are suspected to be responsible for electoral offences, including violence, bribery, vote-buying, conspiracy, and undue influence during the general elections and off-cycle elections since 2015.”

SERAP made the call in a letter signed by SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare, according to a statement obtained by Channels Television on Sunday.

“Impunity for past electoral offences is a major barrier to free and fair elections in Nigeria. Mr Amupitan must demonstrate that INEC under his watch would not tolerate electoral offences in the country’s elections,” the letter dated October 11 read.

“Unless the legacy of impunity for these grave electoral offences is combated and perpetrators, especially high-ranking politicians and their sponsors are effectively prosecuted and voters provided with access to justice, those contemplating electoral crimes will feel unconstrained in future elections.”

The group lamented that violence and other infractions have marred the nation’s elections since 2015, urging Amupitan to “ensure that any reform of the Electoral Act includes provisions for the timely prosecution of electoral offences and access of voters to justice and effective remedies for violations of their fundamental rights.”

It wants the commission’s chief to “prioritise the amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections in 2027, in conformity with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international obligations.”

The organisation also urged him to “ensure that any reform of the Electoral Act includes provisions for the timely prosecution of electoral offences and access of voters to justice and effective remedies for violations of their fundamental rights.”

Credit: channelstv.com

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