INEC Set to Prosecute Electoral Offenders In Rivers

About  30 suspects are currently being investigated in Rivers State for what the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) described as ‘’electoral offences’’ during the on-going voters registration exercise.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, who made this known to AkanimoReports on Wednesday, in Port Harcouet, the state capital, said the suspects will be arraigned in court once investigations into their alleged offences are concluded.  It was gathered that the suspects are being investigated for alleged illegal diversion of Direct Data Capturing (DDC) machines, graft, and other undisclosed electoral offences.

 In Bonny Local Government Area, home of the multi-billion naira Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas plant, some of the suspects being investigated include Mohammed Abdullahi, Ibeu Nwabusi, Juliet Uchend, Violet Nwobiri, Beauty Abbey, Adokiye Dublin-Green, Daniel Allaputa among others. Before now, findings by National Mirror showed that some unwholesome activities characterized the registration process in some areas.

For instance, in Oyigbo Local Government Area, registration officialds were alleged to be extorting money from citizens before issuing them with numbers to enable them get registered. For those who did not play ball, they were hardly attended to. A trader in the area who made two failed attempts previously was advised by a seeming agent to slip the sum of N200 into the hand of a registration official to facilitate her registration. The trader obliged, and was accordingly attended to.

 In Okrika Local Government Area, the home local government area of the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Dame Patience, the registration exercise was faced with many challenges like malfunctioning of the DDC machines, lack of power, undue delay with the finger print machine and low battery.For instance, in Abam 11 in Ward 5, Unit 8, the state Information and Communications Commissioner, Mrs. Ibim Semenitary, had to provide a generator, a charger, and a lamination machine to enable the exercise run smoothly in the unit.

 In spite of her seeming kind gesture, the finger print machine deterred the INEC’s ad hoc staff from registering more than six people. In Etche, the Local Government Chairman, Mr. Ephraim Nwuzi, has charged registration officials to be committed in the discharge of their duties, and ensure adequate supply of materials always.

There are 207 registration centres in Etche. The Electoral Officer for the area, Dr. Gabriel Okoya, says INEC has worked out modalities to address problems identified including the allegations of extortion and diversion of DDC machines. According to him, ''necessary steps have been taken to guard against any hitch'', pointing out that eligible voters who turned up for the exercise will be registered.