THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Tuesday, officially confirmed that 202 members of its staff were actually induced financially to compromise the integrity of the 2015 general election.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had indicted 202 personnel of the commission for allegedly receiving N23 billion bribe ahead the elections from the office of former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Presenting a report of what it called its “expanded appointment, promotion and disciplinary committee on the EFCC interim report on bribery corruption and money laundering charges during the 2015 general elections,” INEC National Commissioner and member, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, said the indicted staff had since been placed on suspension, after an investigation which established their culpability.
“Based on their level of involvement, 205 serving INEC staffers will be be immediately placed on interdiction, which entails suspension from duties and being placed on half salary, pending the final determination of the cases they have with the EFCC.
“Seventy staf about whom there was insufficient information regarding their involvement will be referred back to EFCC for further investigation and possible prosecution,” the report stated.
Mallam Haruna further disclosed that the cases of one former National Commissioner, five former Resident Electoral Commissioners (one of them deceased) had been referred to the Presidency and EFCC for further necessary action.
The commission also announced that a certain non-governmental organisation, the West African Network of Election Observers (WANEO), had been barred from participating in its activities, for its involvement in the plot to undermine and compromise the integrity of 2015 general election.
“Among other things, the committee found that there was a clear attempt to bribe INEC staff to influence the outcome of the 2015 general election using an NGO, the West African Network of Election Observers (WANEO), made up mainly of retired senior INEC officials.
“WANEO and its principal promoters are immediately blacklisted. The network shall no longer be involved in election observation and any other activities organized by INEC,” the report said.
It added that out of over N23 billion which the EFCC report said was used to influence the elections, the committee established that N3,046,829,000 was received by INEC staff in 16 states.
The report, however, did not mention names of retired senior INEC officials indicted by the EFCC report.
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