Fresh
revelations have it that the People's Democratic Party reportedly
induced electoral officials with money to rig the 2015 presidential
election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has formally
suspended 205 personnel of the commission for allegedly receiving part
of the N23bn alleged to have been disbursed by a former Minister of
Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, ahead of the 2015 general
elections.
A National Commissioner and member of the Information and Voter
Education Committee at INEC, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, who briefed
journalists after a meeting of the leadership of the commission on
Tuesday, said the commission also decided to place the 205 affected
officials on half salaries in accordance with the terms and conditions
of service of the commission.
Haruna said the commission had referred the cases of a former
National Commissioner and five former Resident Electoral Commissioners
(one late) to the Presidency and the EFCC for further action and
investigation.
According to him, the decision to refer the national commissioner
and the RECs to the Presidency and the EFCC was because it was not
within the powers of the commission to deal with the cases involving
them.
This had been reported exclusively in the newspaper's March 26,
2017, edition that the leadership of the commission had placed 202
inducted staff of the commission on suspension and half salary for
allegedly receiving part of the N23bn alleged bribe.
Also, Sunday PUNCH had reported exclusively that the commission had
written the Presidency over the indictment of some RECs in the 2015
electoral bribe scandal in its April 3, 2017, edition which was
confirmed in the briefing on Tuesday.
Haruna said, “The commission met today (Tuesday) to consider
the report of its expanded Appointment, Promotion and Disciplinary
Committee on the EFCC Interim Report on Bribery, Corruption and Money
Laundering Charges during the 2015 general elections.
“You may recall that late last year, the commission received an
interim report from the EFCC detailing allegations against 202 serving
and retired INEC officials and staff in 16 states of the federation.
“In furtherance of its zero tolerance for corruption in the
electoral process, the commission ordered a thorough investigation into
the allegations to establish the culpability or otherwise of those named
in the EFCC report.
“The committee’s work was thorough and painstaking, involving
the issuance of queries to the 202 officials mentioned in the report and
interviewing them individually in accordance with the principle of fair
hearing and in consonance with INEC Staff Conditions of Service.
“As a result of the initial findings of the committee, an
additional 80 serving officials of the commission, who were not named in
the EFCC report but whose names came up in the course of the
investigation, were also queried and interviewed.
“The cases of one former National Commissioner, five former
Resident Electoral Commissioners (one of them deceased) have been
referred to the Presidency and the EFCC for further necessary action.
“Based on their level of involvement, 205 serving INEC staff
will be immediately placed on interdiction, which entails suspension
from duties and being placed on half salary, pending the final
determination of the cases they have with the EFCC.”
Haruna added that a non-governmental organization identified as
West African Network of Election Observers made up of retired INEC
officials was used to bribe INEC staff to influence the outcome of the
2015 general elections.
He stated also that the committee was able to establish that INEC
staff received N3,046,829,000 in 16 states of the federation to
influence the outcome of the election.
“There was a clear attempt to bribe INEC staff to influence the
outcome of the 2015 general elections using an NGO, West African
Network of Election Observers, made up mainly of retired senior INEC
officials.
“Out of over N23bn, which the EFCC report said was used to
influence the elections, the committee established that N3,046,829,000
was received by INEC staff in 16 states,” he added
He stressed that a decision was taken to refer the 70 members of
staff to the EFCC because of insufficient information on their
involvement in the scandal.
However, he refused to mention the names of the retired national
commissioner and five RECs alleged to have colluded with the NGO to pull
through the bribe.
He explained that the ex-officials of the commission were deemed innocent until after their prosecution.
He restated the commitment of the commission to defending the
integrity of the electoral process, stressing that it would not hesitate
to take a stern action against officials “who compromise its core
values of integrity, transparency and impartiality in the conduct of
elections.”
He said the NGO involved in the scandal had been barred from all INEC activities.
… attacks Wike, says he’s not serious
The Independent National Electoral Commission has said preparations
towards the 2019 general elections are in top gear, stressing that it
would not allow itself to be distracted by the Rivers State Governor,
Nyesom Wike.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Mr. Rotimi
Oyekanmi, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Monday,
urged Nigerians to dismiss the claim by Wike that the commission was not
preparing for the next general elections.
Wike had said in an interview with Sunday PUNCH that public
institutions like INEC lacked the expected trust, insisting that the
commission was only engrossed in a jamboree to deceive Nigerians and to
spend money.
The Rivers governor had argued that INEC should use the card reader
for all elections rather than use manual accreditation where the card
readers failed.
“If we want to get elections right in this country, INEC must
say where the card readers do not work, elections should be held the
next day.
“Nigeria should provide the funds. We should not do the wrong
thing because of fund. Some argue that this thing is also done in
advanced countries, but they forget that those places have established
institutions and there is trust also. Here, there is no institution and
there is no trust.
“In 2019, let me tell you, and mark this day, INEC is not
prepared for any election. What they are doing is a jamboree to make
sure that they are spending money. They can’t deceive me,” Wike had said.
Reacting, however, Oyekanmi said Wike was not someone that could be taken seriously on an issue of national importance.
He said contrary to Wike’s claim, INEC was making preparations for
the 2019 elections as shown by the recent validation of its Strategic
Plan by stakeholders in the society.
Oyekanmi stated further that as part of the move towards 2019, the
Federal Government had appointed 27 Resident Electoral Commissioners
while the Senate passed the amendments to the Electoral Act.
He stressed that the commission was focused on its preparations for
the conduct of the next governorship election in Anambra State and
could not afford to be distracted.
He said, “The Rivers State Governor is entitled to his opinion
and I think Nigerians know him too well to take him seriously on any
issue of national importance.
“But as far as INEC is concerned, our preparation for the 2019
general elections is on course. Stakeholders have just validated our
Strategic Plan. The Federal Government recently appointed 27 Resident
Electoral Commissioners and the Senate, thank God, has also just passed
the amendments to the Electoral Act.
“We have the Anambra State governorship election to conduct
later this year. Besides, the re-organisation of the commission is being
carried out. So, we are on course and cannot be distracted.”
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