Electoral Offences: Arrests Good, But INEC Should Do More

Civil Society groups have welcomed the arrest of electoral offenders by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega announced mid-week that 165 people had been arrested for electoral offences. The offences ranged from possession of thumb-printed ballot papers and attempting to snatch ballot boxes to illegal possession of firearms.

Sulaiman Arigbabu, South-west Coordinator of the Electoral Reform Network – a coalition of more than one hundred NGOs working on elections - said the step by INEC is a good omen for free and fair elections.

Arigbabu said INEC should however quickly prosecute the alleged offenders. He said by making them to face the due process of the law, INEC will show that it can bark and bite.

Arigbabu also said it is important for INEC to take legal measures against its own staff who might have aided the electoral offenders.

He called on the media to publicise the consequences of committing electoral offences in order to discourage those who might be planning to disrupt Saturday’s presidential polls.