2023: Nigeria needs Electoral Offences Commission -INEC chief

BY ANDY ASEMOTA, Katsina

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Katsina State, Jibril Ibrahim Zarewa, has applauded the National Assembly over Electoral Offences Commission (EOC) Bill, describing the innovation as key to the transformation of the nation’s electoral process ahead of 2023 general polls.

Zarewa revealed this at a recent media parley with Katsina Press Forum in Katsina held at the state headquarters of the commission in Katsina.

The INEC chief said the bill on the verge of being passed into law became necessary to curb vote buying and other infractions with regards to elections due very limited capacity of the electoral umpire to exercise its power to investigate and prosecute offenders.

According to him, the fight against the menace would take a new twist next year as the House of Representatives had passed its own version of the bill while it scaled second reading in the Senate last week.

“We hope it will see the light of the day because it will reduce the complaints that electoral offenders are not punished. The legislation will strengthen the hands of security agencies and that commission will have powers and capacity to do investigation and prosecution,” he assured.

The commissioner said that INEC had been in the forefront towards the establishment of EOC to ensure the electoral umpire could focus on the conduct of elections.

His words: “In the Electoral Act, there is one area we want  amended, it is a problem to us. The law gives INEC power to prosecute but when you are doing prosecution, you should have capacity for investigation.

“We have capacity to conduct elections but we have very, very limited capacity for prosecution. That is why INEC is in the forefront for the establishment of Electoral Offences Commission.”

Zarewa also cleared the air on the confusion over the issue of voting by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), insisting that the Electoral Act empowers INEC to shift polling units from a particular area to the next in order not to disenfranchised anybody.

Hear him: “Section 24 sub-section one of the Electoral Actsl states that in the event of an emergency affecting an election, the commission shall as much as practicable ensure that persons displaced as a result of the emergency are not disenfranchised.”