The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has called on the Nigerian media to back the call for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Tribunal.
The Commission highlighted the need for a dedicated legal framework to ensure the swift prosecution of electoral offenders.
Chairman of the Nigeria”s electoral umpire, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, laid this emphasis during the commission’s first regular quarterly consultative meeting with media stakeholders in Abuja on Friday.
Yakunu said the Commission under his watch is committed to improving the country’s electoral process, adding that prosecuting offenders has remained a major challenge for the Commission.
Yakubu pointed out that judiciary processes are slow, adding that offenders are currently prosecuted in Magistrate and State High Courts, where they compete for attention with numerous other cases.
“A major obstacle to the speedy dispensation of justice in this regard is that electoral offences are not time-bound as is the case with post-election offences through the tribunals,” the INEC boss said.
“Consequently, electoral offences are carried over from one general election to another, which may sometimes affect the diligent prosecution of the cases.
He said the Commission is currently prosecuting 774 electoral offenders from the 2023 general elections in collaboration with the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.
According to Yakubu, some convictions have been achieved in states such as Kebbi and Kogi but lamented that many cases remain pending.
Yakubu called on the media to amplify advocacy for the tribunal.
Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, in its response, through the union’s Secretary, Achike Chude, who represented the newly elected of NUJ President, Hassan Yahaya, assured the Commission of the association’s continued collaboration, emphasizing that the success of the electoral body is crucial to Nigeria’s democracy.
