INEC wants speedy establishment of tribunal to try electoral offenders

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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has called for “speedy” establishment of electoral offences commission and tribunal.

INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, made the call according to a bulletin of the commission released on Wednesday.

Mr. Yakubu spoke at a Stakeholders’ Forum on Elections convened by the Situation Room, with support from UK AID, held in Abuja on Tuesday.

He lamented the spate of violence that marred elections recently held in Nigeria, particularly those of Bayelsa State and Rivers State which claimed lives.

He said, “More worrisome for INEC is the spectre of violence both in the course of political campaigns and against staff, materials and facilities of the Commission.

“Under such atmosphere, INEC is severely constrained. Where we can’t fully deploy staff or the staff are held hostage and processes disrupted, there can be no elections and where we manage to deploy, there can’t be a conclusive outcome.”

Stating further, he decried the non-implementation of the recommendations of the Justice Uwais Committee report of 2008 and the Justice Lemu Committee report on the 2011 post election crisis.

The two reports recommended, among others, the establishment of the Electoral Offences Commission and Tribunal to try and penalize electoral offenders.

Mr. Yakubu, a professor, said, “A nation that does not punish violators of its own laws is doomed to be repeating its own misfortunes instead of making steady progress.”

On the observations and recommendations from observers and stakeholders, the electoral chief explained that INEC had begun the “progressive implementation of some of them at policy level”, adding that the Commission was aware of the need to go back to the drawing board and review its security architecture with the security agencies.

He, however, pointed that, “some of the fundamental reforms needed are outside the responsibility of INEC because they are not purely matters for policy change. We need the enabling legislation which only the National Assembly can provide.

“We also need institutional reforms, some of which again, only the National Assembly can legislate.”

He called for attitudinal change in order to stem the tide of violence in elections and to deliver credible, free and fair elections.

“We need attitudinal change which only comes with value re-orientation as far as I can see comes in an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary manner and this takes time and the tireless efforts of all and sundry,” he said.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, also lamented the spate of electoral violence experienced in recent elections.

Mr. Malami said of “concern to this administration are the increasing levels of electoral violence as seen in some of the recently held elections.”

He explained that efforts were being made by the executive to ensure the much needed reforms in the Electoral Act were achieved.

On her part, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Aisha Dukku, assured that efforts were in place to ensure the Electoral Act (2010 as amended) got reviewed as quickly as possible to meet the standard that would improve elections in Nigeria.