The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday expressed concern that almost two years after the 2023 general elections, several electoral offence cases are still pending in court.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made this known in Abuja, at the first regular quarterly consultative meeting with the media, on same day the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) commended Bola Tinubu and the electoral body for their decisive action in terminating the appointments of three suspended Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from Adamawa, Sokoto, and Abia states.
Tinubu on Wednesday made a formal request to the Senate for the termination of the appointments of Hudu Yunusa-Ari (Adamawa REC); Dr. Nura Ali (Sokoto REC), and Mr. Ike Uzochukwu (Abia REC) in March 2023, over their alleged misconduct during the general election.
However, Yakubu, while speaking during the meeting, noted that the major obstacle to the speedy dispensation of justice was that electoral offences are not time-bound.
He said one of the critical areas of reforms was the prosecution of electoral offenders, adding that judicial and legislative action in the last few days underscored the Commission’s effort to deal with offences involving officials of the Commission assigned to carry out designated responsibilities.
Yakubu stated: “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,” he added.
Follow Parallel Facts on WhatsApp Channel:https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCQSAoHgZWiDjR3Kn2E
