By Blessing Obi
In yet another push for electoral reforms, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reiterated its call for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Tribunal, citing persistent delays in prosecuting election-related crimes.
INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu made this appeal in Abuja on Friday during the commission’s first regular quarterly consultative meeting with the media. He highlighted the growing backlog of electoral offence cases and the challenges in securing timely justice.
Unlike post-election petitions that are bound by strict timelines, electoral offences often linger in the judicial system. Cases are handled by Magistrate and State High Courts in the jurisdictions where they occur, competing with other legal matters for attention. According to Yakubu, this has resulted in a cycle where cases from one general election spill into the next, affecting their diligent prosecution.
“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. “No priority attention is given to such cases as the courts deal with a variety of other cases.”
One glaring example of this delay is the conviction of a returning officer in Akwa Ibom State for electoral malpractice an outcome that took almost six years to materialize.
“The recent successful prosecution of a Returning Officer in Akwa Ibom State is a case in point. The Commission has been diligently pursuing the case which arose from the 2019 General Election,” Yakubu noted. “In this particular case, it took nearly six years to achieve the successful prosecution at the trial court.”
INEC’s renewed advocacy for an Electoral Offences Tribunal is driven by the need for a dedicated judicial body with specific jurisdiction and a limited timeframe to handle election-related crimes efficiently.
If established, such a tribunal could significantly reduce case backlogs, ensure swift justice, and act as a deterrent to electoral malpractices such as vote-buying, ballot box snatching, and manipulation of election results.
The commission has also been working closely with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to address the issue. As of the 2023 general election, 774 alleged offenders are undergoing prosecution, with convictions already secured in states like Kebbi and Kogi. Additionally, INEC’s collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has led to successful convictions for vote-buying in Lagos, Kwara, and Gombe states.
Yet, despite these efforts, many cases remain pending, reinforcing the need for a more streamlined approach.
With Nigeria’s democratic process continually evolving, ensuring accountability in elections remains a pressing concern. While previous attempts to establish an Electoral Offences Tribunal have stalled, INEC’s persistent advocacy signals a strong commitment to reform.
As the country looks ahead to future elections, the question remains: Will lawmakers finally heed this call and create a tribunal that could transform the electoral justice system? Only time will tell.
