FG readies for saboteurs as INEC releases 2023 polls guidelines

SAN Urges Commission To Prosecute Electoral Offenders

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released guidelines for the conduct of the 2023 general elections. This is coming as the Federal government vowed to forestall any act that would undermine the 2023 polls.

At a meeting of Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), yesterday, in Abuja, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the country’s constitution, the Electoral Act and the commission’s regulations would constitute the legal framework for the 2023 ballot.

Yakubu said the coming into force of the Electoral Act 2022 made it necessary to review the commission’s regulations and guidelines for elections.

“On several occasions, the commission has assured Nigerians that it is finalising the regulations and guidelines for the elections. I am glad to announce that the document is ready and will be presented to Nigerians shortly. The soft copy will be uploaded to our website with the link shared on our social media platforms,” Yakubu stated.

According to him, the electoral umpire has virtually concluded the planning processes for the 2023 polls, nine months ahead of the elections, with the release of guidelines and earlier publication of the Strategic Plan (SP) 2022-2026 and Election Project Plan 2023.

He revealed that the training manual would also be presented to Nigerians in the next couple of weeks, while INEC would focus on election administration.

Yakubu listed such areas to include logistics, training, voter education, technology, sensitisation against vote-buying, inclusivity measures and security.

Stressing that the ICCES would continue to play a critical role, he extended INEC’s appreciation to all security agencies for their support.

Beside the general elections, the INEC chief also spoke about preparations for the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, as well as the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

Meanwhile, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, has condemned the “open display of corruption” at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary, describing it as an embarrassment to the nation.

In a statement, yesterday, the senior advocate said, in many parts of the country, reports monitored through the media, indicated wanton disregard for rules, corruption of voters and imposition of candidates by godfathers.

According to him, it is disheartening that none of the security agencies has found it worthy to interrogate the open display of bribery and corruption by politicians and their supporters.

To stem the tide, Adegboruwa urged INEC to prosecute electoral offenders using its power under the amended Electoral Act. He emphasised the need for INEC to sanitise the electoral space to eradicate unwanted conduct that might undermine the credibility of the electoral process, adding that if corrupt individuals were allowed to occupy public offices, then the hope of a better nation would continue to be a pipe dream.

He said: “In Kaduna State, Mr. Adamu Namadi, who is the son of the former Vice President of Nigeria, confessed to bribing delegates with N2 million each to elect him as PDP candidate for election into the House of Representatives. When he lost the election to a higher bidder, he engaged unorthodox means through vigilantes and hunters, to recover his money.

“The embarrassing part of this story is that he confirmed that leaders and major stakeholders of the PDP were well aware of this ugly practice and even endorsed it.”

The SAN also cited a delegate from Sanga Local Council of Kaduna State, who openly displayed bundles of naira notes that he received as a delegate to the PDP presidential primary, and shared it with members of his community. In the 22 days of his assignment as a delegate to the presidential primary, he reportedly coughed out about N30 million from the inducement he received from aspirants.

“These monumental acts of corruption are being executed by a political party that is asking Nigerians to entrust their future in its hands,” he added.