The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has promised to prosecute perpetrators of electoral violence in the just-concluded 2023 general elections.
It has been reported that the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, stated this on Friday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
In a chat with The Punch, Oyekanmi said the prosecution of electoral offenders and their sponsors will curb the prevalence of violence in the nation’s elections.
He also called for the need for the establishment of the Electoral Offences Commission and Tribunal to prosecute such offenders and their sponsors.
The INEC boss spokesman noted that if the new commission was established, electoral offenders and their sponsors would reconsider their actions.
Oyekanmi, however, said the Commission has succeeded in prosecuting a few electoral offenders, but their sponsors have been largely untouched.
He said, “Electoral violence should not be tolerated. That is why the commission has been calling for the establishment of the Electoral Offences Commission and Tribunal, specifically to try cases related to infractions associated with elections.
In fact, stakeholders have also been calling for this tribunal for many years, especially after the 2011 general elections. I believe strongly that if perpetrators of electoral violence and their sponsors know that they will give account for their misdeeds, they will think twice.
The commission has succeeded in prosecuting a few electoral offenders, but their sponsors have been largely untouched. We need to change this.”
