By Emeka Nze
Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission has accused Kogi state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello of double registration, having registered first in 2011 in Abuja.
The commission also faulted the governor for also registering on Tuesday, outside its designated centre in the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
It however hinted that the governor may face prosecution after leaving office, as his immunity will not allow the commission to prosecute him now.
In a statement yesterday, INEC’s National Commissioner in Charge of Voter Education and Information Committee, Mr Adedeji Soyebi, said Bello’s “double registration and doing so outside lNEC’s designated centres are both illegal.”
The statement reads: “It has come to the attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state, registered as a voter for the second time on Tuesday May 23. 2017 in Government House, Lokoja, the state capital. His first registration was on 30th January, 2011, in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.
“The governor’s double registration and doing so outside lNEC’s designated centres are both illegal. For the on-going Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, INEC has designated a centre in each of the country’s 774 Local Government Areas, including FCT’s six Area Councils.
“lNEC wishes to inform the public that it completely dissociates itself from the governor’s action. We wish to make it clear that no INEC staff was authorised by the Commission to re-register him or any citizen, or to do so outside our designated CVR centres. The Commission is taking disciplinary action against the INEC staff involved.
“As for the State Governor, Section 308 (l) (a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended], precludes lNEC from prosecuting him while in office.
“However, the Commission wishes to state that it has cancelled his second and illegal registration forthwith because our Electoral Law and the Commission’s guidelines make no exception for anyone to register more than once and to register outside the designated centres.”
