Indicted INEC commissioners will be punished – Zakari

 Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs. Amina Zakari, said any commissioner or staff of the commission indicted by the election petition tribunals would be punished.

Speaking at the public presentation of the final report on the 2015 elections by the Civil Society Situation Room in Abuja, Zakari said the commission under her watch would be guided by transparency, accountability and full regard for laid down laws.

“In 2007, a total of 1,290 petitions were filed in the tribunals, in 2011, it was 732, while 663 petitions were filed in 2015. The reduction is driven by improvements in our electoral process but we would like to see a continued downward trend.

“Any INEC official found wanting in the tribunals will be punished to the full extent of the law,” she warned.

As regards the upcoming elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states, the INEC chair said the commission will apply lessons learnt from the previous elections with the Stand Alone Governorship elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states and the general elections.

She equally noted that the smart card readers needed improvements despite the successes the commission recorded with the machines.

Clement Nwankwo, Executive Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy Center (PLAC), while presenting the report called for the amendment of the constitution to bring Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) under the control and direction of INEC headquarters through appointments of State Directors of elections to replace the RECs.