The Independent National Electoral Commission has yet to prosecute 197 electoral offenders months after the 2023 general elections, a top INEC official has said.
The commission had in May 2023 said it would prosecute 215 case files handed over to it by the Nigeria Police Force, but 18 of the cases were returned to the police for not falling under electoral offences.
The remaining 197 cases are being handled by INEC and the Nigerian Bar Association, which is providing pro bono legal services.
“There are 197 NBA lawyer handling the 197 electoral offenders’ cases.
“The remaining 18 cases were returned to the police because they did not fall squarely under electoral offences provided by the Electoral Act, 2022.”
“These 19 cases were investigated and compiled by the EFCC. They are not part of the cases forwarded by the police.
“The commission has only one case file forwarded to INEC by the ICPC,” the source noted.
The electoral offences include dereliction of duty, criminal conspiracy, disorderly conduct at the polls, possession of weapons, destruction of election materials, political thuggery, electoral violence, ballot box snatching, and stealing of sensitive election materials.
