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Reason Why Nigeria Needs A Special Court For Electoral Crimes – INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reiterated its call for the creation of a dedicated tribunal to address electoral offences.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, stressed that the growing backlog of unresolved electoral cases highlights the urgent need for a specialised court to ensure swift justice. Speaking at the commission’s first quarterly consultative meeting with the media in Abuja, Yakubu outlined the difficulties faced in prosecuting electoral offences within the current judicial framework.
He explained that, unlike post-election petitions handled by tribunals with strict timelines, electoral offences are not time-bound. “Moreover, these offences are prosecuted solely by Magistrate and State High Courts within the jurisdiction where the alleged crimes occurred,” Yakubu stated.
The INEC chief noted that electoral offences often receive low priority in regular courts, as they compete with a range of other cases. This leads to significant delays, with some cases remaining unresolved for years and even overlapping into subsequent election cycles.
Yakubu emphasised the necessity of establishing a specialised Electoral Offences Tribunal with exclusive jurisdiction and defined timelines to expedite justice. “These cases receive little priority as courts juggle various other legal matters. As a result, electoral offences carry over from one general election to another, hindering their diligent prosecution. It is crucial to renew our call for an Electoral Offences Tribunal with specific jurisdiction and strict timelines to ensure speedy resolution,” he added.
Highlighting a recent example, Yakubu pointed to the case of a returning officer in Akwa Ibom, who was only convicted after nearly six years of legal proceedings following the 2019 general elections. “The recent successful prosecution of a returning officer in Akwa Ibom State is illustrative. The Commission pursued the case diligently, but it took almost six years to secure a conviction at the trial court,” he said.
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