The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) on Sunday asked the newly nominated Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. 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’.
In a letter by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP said: ‘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.
‘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.
‘The general elections and off-cycle elections conducted since 2015 have been characterised by grave electoral offences, including violence, bribery, vote-buying, conspiracy, and undue influence, making a mockery of INEC.
‘High-ranking politicians and their sponsors are rarely brought to justice for electoral offences, reinforcing a culture of impunity for violations of Nigerians’ democratic rights.
‘There cannot be a fair electoral process if the body managing the electoral process fails to ensure the effective investigation and prosecution of electoral offences and access of voters to justice and effective remedies.
‘No right is more precious in a democratic society than that of having a voice in the election of those who govern the citizens, and other rights, even the most basic, are illusory if unresolved electoral offences are not thoroughly investigated and prosecuted, and voters are not provided with access to justice’.
SERAP wants the commission’s head 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’.
It also urged 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’.
Last week, President Bola Tinubu nominated Amupitan as INEC Chairman, which was approved by the National Council of State.
He is expected to be confirmed by the Senate to succeed Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who left the position last week, weeks before the expiration of his second term of five years.
