TMG calls for public prosecution of electoral offenders

Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has called for prosecution of all arrested electoral offenders in the just concluded general elections in public knowledge.

In its post mortem of the elections, the group said while investigations continue to arrest those not in police net yet, sponsors of those thugs who unleashed mayhem on innocent Nigerians who only sort to express their constitutional guaranteed rights must be fished out and prosecuted in public knowledge also.

Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), Chairman, TMG, while briefing the press on Thursday, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to review all evidence of electoral malpractices presented before it

According to it “failure of the police to respond to voter intimidation in the build up to the state elections emboldened political thuggery and election violence that permeated the governorship election in Nigeria. The police have the authority to stamp out these individuals no matter who they are connected to. The police must move to arrest those individuals and bring them to justice to serve as deterrent in future elections.”

It also advised that “EFCC and ICPC should continue with their good work to reduce the commercialization of vote buying and arrest both the enablers, middlemen, and receivers during the upcoming elections.”

TMG, however, commended INEC on lessons learnt from the presidential poll which has been brought to improve the state elections. “As seen from the efficient logistic deployment and functionality of the technological introductions, Nigeria’s electoral system has the potential to bring about credible elections, it is to the extent which the commission is allowed to independently manage the elections that
hinders credible elections in the country. INEC must strive to eliminate human interference especially with result management.

“As seen from the March 18th election, the credibility, freeness, fairness of elections in Nigeria are beyond the management of the commission alone. Security agencies must play it roles optimally to ensure electoral violence do not remain a tool for election manipulation in the hands of politicians.

“Huge lessons have been learnt from the 2023 general election, the commission must begin to rally stakeholders towards improving the system ahead of the off-cycle elections in Kogi, Edo and Imo states. TMG also commends the commitment of domestic and international observers as well as the media for its professionalism without interfering with election procedures,” the group said.

It however noted that there were lapses that intended to mar the smooth conduct of the the elections.

TMG said vote suppression, thuggery, vote trading, were among noticeable shortcomings of the elections.