Gbaja: Vigorous prosecution of offenders will build confidence in our elections

Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, says the parliament will pass the Electoral Offences Commission Bill before the end of the ninth assembly.

Gbajabiamila spoke on Tuesday while addressing his colleagues who resume plenary after the election break.

During the general election, there were reported incidents of thuggery, voter intimidation and suppression.

In a preliminary report released by the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM), 21 persons were killed on election day.

Gbajabiamila said the punishment of electoral offenders will serve as a deterrent to others.

The speaker said the ninth assembly will finalise work on the bill before the inauguration of the 10th assembly. 

“The Electoral Offences Act is one area where we must take action before the culmination of the 9th house of representatives,” Gbajabiamila said.

“The Act is necessary to ensure effective enforcement against individuals and organisations whose violations of our electoral laws undermine our constitution and threaten our democracy.   

“A system of vigorous prosecution and punishment of electoral offenders will serve as a deterrent to others in the future and help build confidence in our elections.”

Gbajabiamila commended Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for “the hard work and commitment to ensuring free and fair elections across the country”.

He, however, said, there is a need for an “objective assessment” of the elections.

Gbajabiamila said the 2022 Electoral Act has been “particularly instrumental” in improving the elections process, especially the use of technology to facilitate voter accreditation and transmission of results.