INEC lists 200 election law violators for prosecution.

Almost 200 people who were detained for various electoral offenses during the recently completed general elections are expected to face legal action from the Independent National Election Commission.

Almost 50 electoral offense case files have already been forwarded to the election umpire by the Nigeria Police Force.

Rotimi Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, provided an update on the number of case files that the commission had received from the police authorities and the number of electoral offenders that had been turned over to it. The prosecution of more than 200 accused people is planned.

“The commission has directed its Litigation and Prosecution Department to study the files and advise it on the prosecution. The department has since commenced action and as soon as it finishes, it will revert to the commission accordingly.”

Usman Baba, the inspector general of police, gave commissioners of police in charge of state commands instructions to ensure an investigation into every instance of Election Act violation during the presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25, 2023, on March 13, 2023.

The IG instructed them to forward the case files to INEC for prosecution as soon as the inquiry was over.

On March 14, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the INEC chairman, announced that the commission was assembling a legal team to handle allegations of electoral misconduct during the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.

On March 28, Baba issued a directive requesting the submission of all electoral offense case files to the Commissioner of Police overseeing the legal section.

He claims that this will allow for coordinated processing and central collation by INEC’s legal unit prior to the start of the criminal investigation.

He pledged that the NPF would work with INEC leadership to see that all electoral criminals were swiftly and transparently prosecuted, not just in the interest of criminal justice but also to advance the police’s goal of sanitizing the country’s election process.

In Abuja, Baba addressed a gathering of the NPF’s strategic police managers, which included assistant inspectors general of police, commissioners of police, deputy inspectors general of police, and other tactical commanders.