Collaboration between the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Nigerian Bar Association has resulted in the prosecution of cases involving 774 alleged offenders from the 2023 General Election.

To further build on this, Professor Yakubu Mahmood has advocated for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Tribunal to streamline the prosecution of electoral offenders, highlighting the current delays and the need for reform in the judicial system. He wants a special court dedicated to the trial of electoral offenders.

The INEC boss requested this while speaking to journalists and media executives at the consultative meeting with the media held at the commission’s conference room in Abuja on Friday, February 7, 2025, where he highlighted the challenges of lingering judicial procedures that often impede the prosecution of recorded electoral offences over the years.

According to him, the recent prosecution of an erring INEC official, the former Returning Officer in Akwa Ibom State, had been on since 2019, and the case was just concluded six years later. He added that, despite the growing concern, its relationship with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has led to the prosecution of cases involving 774 alleged offenders from the 2023 General Election.

“One of these areas of reform is the prosecution of electoral offenders. Judicial and legislative action in the last few days underscores our efforts to deal with offences involving officials of the Commission assigned to carry out designated responsibilities. However, it also highlights the challenges we face in dealing with electoral offences. The recent successful prosecution of a returning officer in Akwa Ibom State serves as a prime example. The Commission has been diligently pursuing the case that arose from the 2019 General Election.

“In this particular case, it took nearly six years to achieve a successful prosecution at the trial court. We are prosecuting cases involving 774 alleged offenders from the 2023 General Election through our collaboration with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). 

“So far, successful prosecutions have been recorded in Kebbi and Kogi States, while our collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on vote-buying has yielded similar results in Lagos, Kwara, and Gombe States. Yet, many cases are still pending.

He also lamented the restriction placed on electoral offences, in which only the magistrate and the state high court have jurisdiction to prosecute them.

As a result, Professor Mahmood called for reform in the judicial system, including the creation of the election offences tribunal with a mandate to focus on hearing and giving verdicts on cases presented before it as promptly as possible.

“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.” 

“Furthermore, they are solely prosecuted by the Magistrate and State High Courts in the jurisdiction where the alleged offences are committed. No priority is given to such cases, as the courts deal with a variety of others. 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. I urge the media to join in this patriotic advocacy for the good of our electoral democracy.”

The INEC chairman also appealed to the media, as one of the commission’s major stakeholders, to continue to support its constant calls for reform in some critical areas, promising to improve the country’s election process.