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We’re committed to prosecuting electoral offenders, says INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is committed to prosecuting electoral offenders within and outside the commission.
It called for an electoral reform programme that would give a time frame in the investigation and prosecution of electoral offenders across the country.
The commission said in the aftermath of last year’s general election, it received case files of electoral offenders involving about 744 offenders for the presidential and governorship polls.
INEC announced that it had begun the prosecution of several electoral offenders in various states, adding that convictions/successful prosecutions had been recorded in Kebbi and Kogi states, while successful prosecutions had been recorded in Lagos, Gombe and Kwara states.
In a statement, titled: SERAP Misrepresentation of Facts On the Prosecution of Electoral Offenders, the commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, said INEC was working with various agencies, such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), to prosecute electoral offenders.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to media reports attributed to the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) accusing the commission of failure or neglect to prosecute electoral offenders arising from the 2023 general election.
“Specifically, SERAP accused the commission of failure to engage independent counsel to prosecute unnamed governors and deputy governors for sundry violations of electoral laws. It also accused the commission of failing to engage private lawyers to prosecute other electoral offences, including vote-buying during the same election. These allegations are untrue and fly in the face of facts already in the public domain.
“In the first place, governors and deputy governors have constitutional immunity from prosecution. SERAP cannot be unaware of this constitutional provision. In any case, the commission has no record that anyone of them has been arrested, investigated and a prima facie case established to initiate their prosecution.
“If SERAP had done basic fact-check, it would have known that at the end of the 2023 general election, the commission announced that it received 215 case files from the Nigeria Police following the arrest and investigation of alleged violators of the electoral laws across the country.
“These include 52 files involving 238 alleged offenders during the presidential and National Assembly elections and 163 files in respect of 536 suspects for the governorship and State Assembly elections. It is important to also inform the public that the commission’s commitment to the prosecution of electoral offenders is not limited to persons who are outside the commission.
“Indeed, officials of the commission, some of them highly placed, have been affected, including a Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) currently being prosecuted in a High Court in Yola.
“Recognising the need for their speedy prosecution and bearing in mind that the commission does not have enough in-house lawyers, it engaged the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) under the leadership of the immediate past President, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), for assistance.
“The NBA agreed, and a well-publicised joint press conference was held between the Chairman of the commission and the President of the NBA. The Chairman of the commission and other officials have also been providing updates to the public on the matter, as simple google search will show.
“For the first time in the history of elections in Nigeria, concrete steps were taken between the NBA and the commission to prosecute electoral offences. The NBA, working with a prominent and senior human rights lawyer, provided the commission with a list of counsels nationwide, including Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), who volunteered to render pro-bono services.
“Letters of instruction were given to them through the NBA and work commenced in earnest. As private lawyers, this satisfies the provision of Section 145 (2) of the Electoral Act 2022, which empowers the commission to engage external solicitors to assist it in the prosecution of electoral offences.
“So far, convictions/successful prosecutions have been recorded in Kebbi and Kogi states.
“Similarly, it is well known that the commission has been working with the anti-graft agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), to discourage vote-buying and prosecute vote buyers.
“Specifically, a special joint prosecution team of 18 lawyers drawn from the EFCC and INEC was set up to prosecute suspects. Through this joint effort, successful prosecutions have so far been recorded in Lagos, Gombe, and Kwara states.
“The prosecution of electoral offence is very slow for the simple reason that electoral offences are not time-bound, unlike pre-election and post-election cases which must be determined within 180 days at the trial court/tribunal and a maximum of 60 days at each layer of appeal.
“Furthermore, under Section 145 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022, electoral offences are prosecuted in the jurisdiction where the alleged offence is committed and by the state judiciary. Some cases can go on for several years.
“That is why the commission has been in the forefront of the advocacy for electoral reform to make electoral offences time-bound for speedy prosecution of electoral offenders, including the establishment of an Electoral Offences Tribunal.
“We wish to assure Nigerians that the commission will continue to discharge its responsibilities at all times. The commission is not in contempt of court, as alleged. As an organisation that portrays itself as a leader in advocating for justice, SERAP ought to have availed itself of basic facts that are already in the public domain.”
By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives has given a 24-hour ultimatum to the Controller-General of the Federal Fire Service, Jaji Abdulganiyu, demanding his personal appearance over the recent fire truck accident in Abuja that left three people dead and several others injured.
This directive was issued on Tuesday by the Minority Whip, Rep. Ali Isah, following the agency’s failure to honour an earlier invitation to address the matter.
Naijablitznews.com recalled the tragic incident occurred on Friday evening at ECOWAS Junction, Wuse 2, during an emergency operation at Avenue Plaza, Banex, where a fire truck reportedly lost control, claiming the lives of three siblings.
Rep. Isah expressed dismay that despite graphic videos circulating online, the Fire Service had not issued any public statement or shown presence at the scene. He called on the agency to visit the bereaved family without delay, cover all medical expenses of the victims receiving treatment, and arrange adequate compensation.
He also demanded that the Fire Service take concrete steps to prevent such an incident from happening again.
Earlier in his brief, a top-ranking officer in charge of Administration and Supplies at the Fire Service, Samuel Olumode, admitted the agency deeply regretted the fatal incident in Abuja.
He stated that while the Controller-General couldn’t appear in person due to pressing state duties, he had given clear instructions for a team, including Olumode himself, to represent the service at the hearing.
Olumode eemphasised hat no one takes the loss of life lightly, especially when such a loss is irreversible. He attributed the tragic occurrence to the urgent and chaotic nature of the firefighting operation that night.
According to him, the driver of the fire truck did not stop at the scene immediately after the crash, fearing possible attacks from an angry crowd, something fire crews reportedly face often. However, the driver later turned himself in at the nearest police station and has remained in custody since.
Olumode also disclosed that the Fire Service, under the leadership of the CG, had already begun reaching out to those affected. Visits had been made to the victims’ family and the injured in hospital. Fire officers were also present at the funeral held at the National Mosque and the burial that followed.
He described the moment as extremely difficult for the bereaved family and confirmed that another team had visited the boys’ mother to console her personally.
Olumode added that the Fire Service had made a public apology, which was aired and published by several leading media outlets across the country.
By Francesca Hangeior
The move to transform YabaTech in Lagos State to a University of Technology and Vocational Studies has got a boost as a Bill to this effect has scaled second reading in the Senate.
After being read the second time yesterday, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, APC, Kano North, who presided at Tuesday’s plenary session, thereafter referred it to the Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFUND for further legislative action and report back in four weeks.
It is titled, a Bill for an Act to provide for the Establishment of the Yaba Federal University of Technology and Vocational Studies Yaba, Lagos State and to make comprehensive provisions for its due management and administration and for other related matters, 2025 (SB. 738).
In his lead debate on the general principles of the bill, the Senate leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Centra,l said that the Bill essentially seeks to transform and upgrade the YabaTech to Yaba Federal University of Technology and Vocational Studies, Yaba, Lagos State, which has already been done via a presidential fiat.
Bamidele said, “This Bill seeks to establish Yaba Federal University of Technology and Vocational Studies Yaba, Lagos State. The Bill was read the first time in this Hallowed Chamber on Tuesday, 11th March, 2025.
“The Bill essentially seeks to transform and upgrade the YabaTech to Yaba Federal University of Technology and Vocational Studies, Yaba, Lagos State, which has already been done via a presidential fiat.
“Nigeria’s steady march towards education for all in the shortest possible time has taken a giant leap with the introduction of this Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of this University.
“I am personally excited by the prospect of transforming this Polytechnic to a University of Technology and Vocational Studies as it will motivate both students and academic staff, just as it will upgrade its facilities and enhance its capability to achieve its objectives.
Similarly, The New University will encourage the advancement of learning and hold out to all persons without distinction of race, creed, sex or political conviction the opportunity of acquiring a higher and liberal education. It will also do the following: Provide courses of instruction and other facilities for the pursuit of learning in all its branches, and to make those facilities available on proper terms to such persons as are equipped to benefit from them; Encourage and promote scholarship and conduct research in all fields of learning with emphasis on technical education”
According to the Senate leader, the new school will m”Relate its activities to the social, cultural and economic needs of the people of Nigeria; and Undertake any other activities appropriate for a university of the highest standards.
“If Nigeria, as planned, should aim to become one of the world’s twenty leading economies of the world in this 215t century, we must be ready to adjust and position our educational institutions so that its products are geared towards technological challenges inherent in such projections. Our educational authorities are moving to revamp our institutions for these objectives.
Yaba Federal University of Technology and Vocational Studies, when enacted by the National Assembly will have power to establish such campuses, colleges, faculties, institutes, schools, extra-mural departments and other teaching and research units within the University as may from time to time seem necessary or desirable subject to the approval of the National Universities Commission.
“To ensure continuity in the administration of the university, all property held by or on behalf of the Yaba Polytechnic shall be vested in the University and be held by it for the purposes of the University. Notably, all staff of the Polytechnic are hereby transferred to the University and previous service in the Polytechnic shall count as service for the purposes of any pension payable by the University.
” The institution is prepared to undertake the educational and other modifications that are a natural corollary of transforming to a university. The institution is also prepared to remains true to its core mandate of producing well-trained manpower capable of driving the technological, management and business goals of the nation.
“In this regard, it will seek to emulate the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which has built upon a tradition of distinction to become one of the world’s foremost educational institutions.
By Francesca Hangeior
A human rights lawyer and counsel for the Indigenous People of Biafra, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has faulted the Amnesty International report on Okigwe killings, describing it as “hasty and full of inconsistencies”, just as he called for a thorough, impartial, and evidence-based investigation.
Recall that some yet-to-be-identified armed men reportedly ambushed and killed some travellers along the Okigwe Road in Imo State, some days ago.
The alleged killings have triggered mixed reactions, with a call for a thorough investigation to unravel the perpetrators.
But in a statement released on Tuesday, Ejiofor said the quick attribution of the killings to IPOB, without exhaustive verification, raises serious concerns about the integrity and neutrality of the Amnesty International report.
According to him, this approach does not align with the expected standards of a globally respected human rights organisation.
He said while he condemned the killing of the innocent travellers by yet-to-be-identified “heartless” perpetrators, he called on Nigerian security agencies to promptly and meticulously investigate the heinous crimes and ensure that those responsible are identified, apprehended, and prosecuted according to the law.
The statement read, “In light of the recent hasty statement issued by Amnesty International (Nigeria) on the Okigwe killings, it is imperative to underscore the need for a thorough, impartial, and evidence-based investigation.
“The quick attribution of the killings to IPOB, without exhaustive verification, raises serious concerns about the integrity and neutrality of the report.
“It must be unequivocally stated that no individual or authority, regardless of their constitutional powers, is permitted to take another’s life outside the due process enshrined in Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). The sanctity of human life must remain inviolable.
“I call on Nigeria’s security agencies to promptly and meticulously investigate these heinous crimes and ensure that those responsible are identified, apprehended, and prosecuted according to the law.
“The security agencies should stop paying lip service as they often do, and actually conduct a thorough investigation into these dastardly and wanton killings.”
The human rights lawyer said upon a careful review of Amnesty International Nigeria’s statement, several inconsistencies and troubling lapses were observed, such as “questionable sources of casualty figures, premature attribution of blame, potential conflict of interest and ongoing threats in the region”.
“Amnesty International Nigeria reported specific casualty figures without disclosing any independent verification sources.
“This departs from their well-established protocol, which emphasises independent investigations often taking days or weeks before conclusions are drawn.
“While the police acknowledged the attack, they refrained from confirming exact casualty numbers or the real identity of the attackers. Amnesty’s conclusive link to IPOB, therefore, appears speculative and unsubstantiated.
“Concerns have also been raised about the neutrality of the Country Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, who use to hold a political appointment as Special Assistant to the Governor of Yobe State. This dual role casts a shadow over the objectivity of the organisation’s reporting.
“It is a well-known fact that remnants of armed elements loyal to Simon Ekpa continue to destabilise communities across the South-East. While this remains a security concern demanding urgent state intervention, it should not justify rushed attributions of blame without due diligence,” he added.
According to him, national and international stakeholders must demand a credible, unbiased, and fact-driven investigation into the Okigwe killings.
He insisted that the loss of innocent lives must not be politicised or sensationalised, adding that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done, both to honour the victims and to safeguard the rule of law in our democracy.
“Only the truth, firmly established through rigorous investigation, can pave the path to justice and lasting peace,” he said.
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