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..As NHRC frowns over delay in Adamawa REC arrest and prosecution.
By Raphael Ekpang
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revealed that the Nigerian Police has handed over 215 case files of electoral offences arising from the just concluded 2023 general elections for prosecution.
The INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu made the revelation on Wednesday during the monthly review forum on Human Rights and the 2023 general elections.
Represented at the event by the commission Deputy Director of prosecution, Nasara Haruna Auta, the chairman of the commission revealed further that a total of 774 electoral offences cases were recorded but only 215 case files has so far been handed over to them .
However, Mr. Hilary Ogbonna (Project Director MOVE) who represented the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Tony Ojukwu (SAN) at the event said that the commission frowned at the delay in arrest of the Adamawa Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Ari Hudu by the security agents
He noted that the action of Prof. Hudu infringe on the rights of the electorates in the state regardless of political parties
Ogbonna also disclosed that 12 journalists were assaulted during the period in review as 22 hate speeches were also recorded.”The action of Prof. Ari Hudu in Adamawa rerun Infringe upon the rights of the electorates in Adamawa state regardless of the parties.
“We also frowned on assault against Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, a National Commissioner and a former Vice Chancellor of Usman Dan Fodio University and others.
“We view with greatest of disrespect the commission of the electoral crimes in full glare of the law enforcement agents,”he concluded.
Meanwhile, Country Director, Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) Dr. Benson Olugbuo on his part called on the INEC to make public case files handed over to them by the police and strive at all cost to make the prosecution of the offenders public.Dr. Olugbuo cited the case of 2019 general elections where INEC announced that 16 case files out of 3000 electoral offences committed were handed over to them, stressing that whether the cases were prosecuted or not is still unknown to the public.
On her part, the executive director Partners West Africa (PWAN), Kemi Okenyodo noted that they are not mechanism by security agencies to hold their personnel accountable on electoral offences, saying that there should be internal mechanism to punish personnel involved in electoral offences
However, Okenyodo added that the electoral umpire should be able to give account of the resources made available for the 2023 general elections.
According to her, “The question we should be asking now if we are talking about holding any one accountable for the just concluded general elections is that, do we even get commensurate service to the resources committed to the electoral process?”
