2019 polls: 58 offenders arrested, says IGP


The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu has said 58 election offenders were arrested by the police during the 2019 general elections. 
Out of this figure, investigation in 39 cases have been concluded and charged to court while investigations in 19 other cases are still ongoing.   The IG who spoke on Tuesday at Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting, said 25 election offenders were arrested during the presidential and National Assembly elections, 17 during the governorship and State Assembly elections while 14 others were arrested during the rerun elections.


Adamu who was represented by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in charge of Operations, Abdulmajid Ali, described the relationship between police and INEC as cordial. 
“The ICCES forum presented a veritable forum for official interaction at strategic level for  both agencies as well as other relevant security againcies towards exchanging professional ideas on electoral duties and election functions,” he stated. 
According to him, the meeting came at the time INEC was preparing for Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elections, stating that critical issues such as the effectiveness and impact of electoral risk assessment and the response by the security againcies, would be discussed. 


“Training and development of security personnel is very important before the elections,” he added. He also called for the monitoring of “the conduct of security againcies before, during and after the elections.”
The IG commended other security agencies, perticlarly the military, for the cooperation given to the police and INEC during the last election.


“I want to also assure that the Nigeria Police and other security agencies are ever ready to put more efforts in ensuring that the forthcoming governorship elections will be free and fair, and credible,” Adamu stated. 
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who renewed the call for the establishment of the Electoral Offences Tribunal, want police to pay attention to the forthcoming off-season elections in Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elections. 


He said given the history of political violence, resulting in the governorship elections declared inconclusive in the two States in 2015, the commission is concerned about the sanctity of the electoral process.
“The politicians in Bayelsa and Kogi must shed off the toga of political violence associated with elections in the two states,” he advised. 
Prof. Yakubu said the commission would work with the National Assembly to ensure the passage of a private members bill sponsored both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives, noting that this was reinforced by an Executive Bill submitted to the National Assembly arising from the report of the Ken Nnamani Committee on Electoral Reform. 


“The truth is that democracy and credible elections will be deepened where electoral offenders are swiftly prosecuted,” INEC Chairman stated, adding that in the recent general elections in South Africa held in May 2019, some electoral offenders were arrested and swiftly charged to court even before the election was concluded.
He commended the police for the arrests made during the general elections, and blamed the inconclusive of some of the elections on violent disruption of processes by political thugs. 
“Proven misconduct must be dealt with according to the law. This is one of the surest ways to address impunity and instil sanity in the electoral process.
“There is therefore an organic link between security and the conduct of peaceful elections,” he said. 

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