Date Published: 03/11/11

Call on INEC to immediately commence prosecution of multiple regisrants

The Civil Liberties Organisation welcome with the renewed hope in the statement credited to the INEC chairman Prof Jega, drawing inferences that the era of electoral impunity in Nigeria is over.

The Civil Liberties Organisation note with special interest the urgent need to go beyond the statement and make good the pledge by promptly ensuring timely and diligent prosecution of all the detected cases of wilful multiple registrations in all the thirty-six states and the FCT as this is the only to engender credibility and confidence building in the electoral process.

This we believe will not serve as the needed check and deterrent to others that trades in electoral related offences such as electoral malpractices, thuggery, and electoral violence.

The call for electoral offences tribunal as recommended by the reform committee is most appropriate as it will enhance speeding trial of all offenders but for now the INEC should readily make do the provision of the amended electoral law and other criminal law of the federation.

Beyond the INEC, the political stakeholders at all levels must of primary necessity track the operations of the INEC official especially those that have not come to term with the new expected order, make them conform with the realities of ensuring that the votes counts. The much needed political will goes beyond the strives of those in power at different levels of governance but be enforced by the electorates that bear the grudge of bad governance.

Different religious groups, government, and their agents must be made to learn the new robe of the need to be tolerant of critical opposing views and promote environment for peaceful harmonious relationship that is much needed promote issue base developmental political debates rather than creating unsecured political environment through false security reports doctored to suit their political interest. These groups must also desist from painting religious and ethnic divide while civilised language must be learnt and used