INEC Identifies Major Threat To Free, Fair Elections In Nigeria

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pointed out electoral offences as the major threat to a free and fair election in Nigeria.

Naija News reports that INEC expressed concern that electoral offences not only undermine the integrity of the electoral process but also exacerbate political tension and can lead to violence.

INEC also expressed concern that electoral offences could undermine the fairness and credibility of the forthcoming off-cycle Edo State Governorship Election.

Head of the Legal Department, INEC office, Edo State, Rita Amadi, made these remarks during a presentation at a one-day engagement with youth groups in Edo State, focused on the role of youths in the upcoming September 21, 2024 governorship election.

Represented by Oba Agbonifo, a legal officer in the Benin office, Amadi’s presentation titled ‘Electoral Offences and Penalties,’ aimed to educate the electorate, particularly the youth, about electoral laws and the consequences of violating them.

She pointed out that prosecuting electoral offences in Nigeria has proven to be a significant challenge, primarily due to the inefficiencies in criminal investigations across the country.

Amadi stressed that reducing electoral offences would only be possible through the arrest, prosecution, and punishment of offenders, which would help curb the prevailing impunity.

“Electoral offences may be committed by an individual or group of persons and such individuals shall be held liable and punished in accordance with the extant laws.

“Our laws are replete with a reasonable amount of these offences and penalties. Generally speaking, the youths make up a greater percentage of our population, as well as the age bracket that participate in our electoral process at different levels.

“Against this backdrop it’s critical that the youths get to intimately understand the electoral offences,” she said.

The INEC legal officer also noted that the commission’s chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, had previously mentioned that while INEC is empowered by the Electoral Act to prosecute electoral offences, it lacks the authority and resources to make arrests and conduct thorough investigations into these offences.

She urged all political stakeholders to support INEC in fulfilling its role as an election management body by educating their agents, supporters, and partners to abandon the “do or die” mentality that often plagues the electioneering process.