News
INEC Pushes For Creation Of Special Court For Electoral Crimes – Details
- Electoral offences backlog demands tribunal for swift justice.
- Current courts delay cases, hindering prompt electoral adjudication.
- Collaborative prosecutions yield successes, yet many cases remain unresolved.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has renewed its call for the creation of a dedicated tribunal to handle electoral offences, citing an ever-growing backlog of unresolved cases as a major impediment to swift justice.
INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu announced the move during the commission’s first quarterly consultative media meeting in Abuja.
EDITOR’S PICKS
- 45% of Nigerian Girls Become Mothers Before 18 — World Bank
- ECOWAS Faces Historic Defection as Three West African Nations Withdraw
- Netanyahu to Meet Trump at White House Next Week
EKO HOT BLOG reports that according to Yakubu, the current judicial system is ill-equipped to deal with electoral offences because, unlike post-election disputes resolved through established tribunals, these cases are not time-bound.
“A major obstacle to the speedy dispensation of justice in this regard is that electoral offences are not time-bound as is the case with post-election offences through the tribunals,” he explained. He noted that such cases are solely prosecuted by the Magistrate and State High Courts in the jurisdictions where the alleged offences occur, which means they often receive little priority as they compete with a myriad of other legal matters.
Yakubu stressed that this delay frequently results in cases lingering for years—even carrying over from one General Election to another—which undermines the diligent prosecution of electoral offences. “No priority attention is given to such cases as the courts deal with a variety of other cases.
Consequently, electoral offences are carried over from one General Election to another, which may sometimes affect the diligent prosecution of the cases. It is therefore imperative to renew our call for the creation of the Electoral Offences Tribunal that has a specific jurisdiction and limited timeframe for the speedy dispensation of cases,” he said.
Citing a recent example, Yakubu pointed out that a returning officer in Akwa Ibom State was convicted only after nearly six years of legal proceedings following the 2019 General Election. He emphasized that such delays not only affect the administration of justice but also undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
INEC, in collaboration with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), is currently prosecuting 774 electoral offenders from the 2023 general elections. Successful convictions have already been recorded in Kebbi and Kogi States.
INEC Court For Electoral
In addition, a partnership with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has resulted in vote-buying convictions in Lagos, Kwara, and Gombe States. Despite these efforts, many cases remain unresolved, reinforcing INEC’s urgent call for the establishment of a specialized Electoral Offences Tribunal.
The commission has given interested parties until March 5 to address the deficiencies in their applications for state creation—underscoring a broader commitment to timely, focused, and effective adjudication in electoral matters.
FURTHER READING
- [VIDEO] Commotion Rocks PDP BoT Meeting as Faction Confront Each Other
- NiDCOM Prepares for Deportation of Nigerians from U.S
- BREAKING: Sowore Pleads Not Guilty to Cybercrime Charges Filed by Police IG
Click here to watch video of the Week
Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:
Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.
Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.
Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611
