NGO calls for prosecution of electoral offenders

A civil society organisation, the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA Africa), has called for the prosecution of perpetrators violence during the supplementary elections.

It said the non-compliance with electoral guidelines, intimidation of voters and observers, violence and voter suppression in some states impeded on the integrity of the exercise.

In a statement by YIAGA Africa’s Watching the Vote (WTV) Working Group Chair Dr. Hussaini Abdu and Executive Director Samson Itodo, the group said it deployed 264 observers to 311 polling units in the 98 Local Government Areas (LGA) where supplementary elections were held.

It also sent 95 observers to 95 LGA results collation centres in the five states, namely Bauchi Benue, Kano, Plateau and Sokoto.

YIAGA Africa questioned the credibility of some results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in polling units and LGA collation centres where observers and voters were allegedly chased away by thugs and police officers.

It said: “The level of impunity observed in the supplementary elections is an indication of democratic recession in Nigeria. Political thugs unleashed violence and terror on unarmed voters, INEC officials and citizens without any form of restraint or reprimand from security agencies deployed for the elections…

“Nigeria cannot continue to condone this brazen disregard for law and order by political actors. As a country determined to make progress, electoral impunity must be checkmated else it will imperil our 20 year old democracy.”

Calling for the prosecution of offenders, the group said: “Several electoral offences were observed and reported by WTV observers and other domestic and international observer groups.

“We urge INEC and Nigerian police to properly investigate cases of infractions and ensure diligent prosecution of electoral offenders.

“INEC and the police should extend the investigation to reports of complicity and collusion of its staff to compromise to the process.”

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YIAGA Africa praised INEC for “improved management of election logistics and timely deployment for the elections”.

“We urge INEC to make concerted efforts to vacate the substituting court order restraining it from concluding the elections in Adamawa and Bauchi states.

“YIAGA Africa calls on all stakeholders to reclaim our democracy by demanding accountability against all state and non-actors whose act undermined the electoral process,” the group said.