The European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) says offenders need to be punished according to the law to make the electoral process in Nigeria more credible.
It also called for more appropriate institutional mechanisms for the prosecution of election offences in the country.
The centre made the call on Wednesday at a training programme organised for INEC legal officials and Police officers in Sokoto.
Speaking on behalf of ECES-Nigeria, Senior Electoral Expert (Legal), Maria Teresa Mauro, said the perpetration of electoral offences undermines the smooth conduct of elections and has impact on the integrity of the electoral process.
“Clear, properly understood and followed mechanisms for prosecution of election offences committed by voters, candidates and election officials are necessary to render the electoral process less controversial and contentious as possible,” she stated.
Mauro assured of ECES continued support to INEC in fostering its competences on legal issues, among others.
She said the training was aimed at improving synergies among INEC legal officers and police officer and to render high quality legal services to the commission in its efforts to deliver fair and credible election is 2019 and beyond.
INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairperson Legal Services, Clearance and Complaints Committee, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, expressed the commitment of INEC towards prosecuting electoral offences, saying “INEC cannot not stand aloof and allow its efforts in planning successful elections be thrown into disrepute.”
“Now more than ever, there is the need to prevent, curtail and manage various electoral offences. Recent happenings in Ekiti State during the just concluded governorship election have thrown up the need for a closer look at our prosecutorial efforts in the area of electoral offences,” she said.
She however reiterated the need to set up Electoral Offences Commission, adding that “prosecution of offences is fraught with many difficulties.”
“The idea of this training is well conceived as the interaction and dialogue between our Legal Officers and Police officers will go a long way in removing some bottlenecks in the prosecution of electoral offences. INEC and the Police must necessarily work together as envisaged by the law,” she asserted.
