Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says 774 electoral offenders arrested in connection with the 2023 general elections are currently facing prosecution nationwide.
Speaking at the first quarterly meeting with media executives on Friday, Yakubu said the prosecutions are being carried out in partnership with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).
He, however, expressed concerns about delays in the prosecution process, citing the absence of an electoral offences tribunal and a clearly defined time frame for addressing such cases.
He noted that regular courts, already overwhelmed with numerous cases, often struggle to provide the urgent attention required for electoral offences.
According to Yakubu, INEC, in collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has achieved successful prosecutions of several electoral offenders.
He stressed the urgent need for reforms in prosecuting electoral offences, citing recent judicial and legislative efforts to ensure INEC officials are held accountable for their actions.
Yakubu said: “It also highlights the challenges we face in dealing with electoral offences. The recent successful prosecution of a Returning Officer in Akwa Ibom state is a case in point. The Commission has been diligently pursuing the case which arose from the 2019 General Election.
“In this particular case, it took nearly six years to achieve the successful prosecution at the trial court.
“Through our collaboration with the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) cases involving 774 alleged offenders from the 2023 General Election are being prosecuted.”
According to him, successful prosecutions have been achieved in Kebbi and Kogi States, and through INEC’s collaboration with the EFCC on vote-buying, similar results have been recorded in Lagos, Kwara, and Gombe States, although many cases remain pending.
He said: “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.
“Furthermore, they are solely prosecuted by the Magistrate and State High Courts in the jurisdiction where the alleged offences are committed. No priority attention is given to such cases as the courts deal with a variety of other cases.
“Consequently, electoral offences are carried over from one General Election to another which may sometimes affect the diligent prosecution of the cases.
“It is therefore imperative to renew our call for the creation of the Electoral Offences Tribunal that have a specific jurisdiction and limited timeframe for the speedy dispensation of cases. I urge the media to join in this patriotic advocacy for the good of our electoral democracy.”
The chairman assured that INEC will continue to collaborate with the media, particularly the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), a vital stakeholder in the electoral process to promote the best interests of the nation’s electoral democracy.
He said: “You may recall that 114 accredited media organisations deployed 721 personnel to cover the recent off-cycle Governorship Election in Edo State while 112 organisations deployed over 700 staff for the Ondo State Governorship Election.
“We look forward to the same partnership and support in all our forthcoming elections and electoral activities. Already, the Commission has released the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Anambra State Governorship election to be held on 8th November 2025. Party primaries begin next month.
“Political parties interested in fielding candidates for the election shall commence their primaries on 20th March 2025 and end three weeks later on 10th April 2025.
“At the appropriate time, the Commission will release the details for interested media organisations to apply for accreditation through the online portal which all of you are now familiar with.
“Similarly, the Commission has released the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) holding on 21st February 2026.”
The INEC Chairman announced that most major election activities, including party primaries and candidate nominations for 68 constituencies comprising six Area Council Chairmen and 62 Councillors, will take place this year, specifically from June 9th to 30th, 2025.
He said: “In addition to the end-of-tenure elections, there is an increasing number of bye-elections to be conducted. In the last three weeks alone, vacancies have occurred in one Federal Constituency and two State Constituencies caused by the death of serving members.
“In another State Constituency, the State Assembly declared the seat vacant as a result of absenteeism, following the prolonged absence of the member from sittings of the House in violation of Section 109(1)[f] of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). The matter of pending bye-elections is also on the agenda for this meeting.
“I want to reassure you of our commitment to continuously improve on the electoral process. Every election or electoral activity presents its own unique challenge and an opportunity to learn lessons for improvement.
“The recent Ondo State Governorship election has been widely acknowledged to be an improvement especially in the management of logistics and performance of election technology.
“We will strive harder to ensure the continuous improvement of our elections. However, being a multi-stakeholder responsibility, we appeal for the continuous support of all and sundry, especially in critical areas of reform.”
Mallam Alhassan, the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), emphasized the need for the National Assembly to establish an electoral offences commission and tribunal, thereby relieving the commission of prosecution responsibilities.
Represented by the National Secretary, Achike Chude, the NUJ President said: “If there is one thing I think some of us have noticed, it is the fact that INEC has always been very, very reluctant when it comes to this pressure on them to prosecute offenders. It is not that they do not want to prosecute offenders.
“I think it’s part of the reasons why people have been making a case for this electoral tribunal to be put in place, so that they can be free to do what they are very good at doing.
“We should also encourage the National Assembly to set these things in motion because there are just too many things that they are doing that they shouldn’t be doing.”
Persecondnews recalls that President Bola Tinubu’s request to the Senate on February 5 to terminate the appointments of three suspended Resident Electoral Commissioners had sparked concerns among Nigerians, who wondered why they had not been prosecuted.
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