Daily Independent (Lagos)
Tom Chiahemen
26 November 2008
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has vowed to deal with any of its officials found to have been responsible for irregularities in the April 14, 2007 governorship election in Edo State for which the commission has received bashing from the Court of Appeal.
National Commissioner in charge of Information and Publicity, Philip Umeadi, who said this in Abuja on Wednesday, also advised any member of the public aggrieved by the recent fund raising dinner organised by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to go to court to seek redress as the law does not give INEC power to prosecute the party.
He explained that the commission cannot be blamed for the failure to prosecute electoral crimes as the power to do so have been vested solely in the police.
Fielding questions from INEC correspondent in Abuja, Umeadi recalled that immediately after the tribunal's judgment in the Edo governorship election petition filed by Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress (AC), the commission came out with a statement "because we were solely indicted."
He said a committee was set up on the matter by INEC because "there were cases where we found in our ballot papers, 'NECON' and 'NEC' stamps and yet we don't use those stamps."
According to Umeadi, "we felt that there must be a problem - that we must have a problem internally and we have indeed set up a committee to look at it and single out the individuals responsible for it, and they will be adequately taken care of internally."
Describing the observed irregularities in the Edo governorship election as very embarrassing, the commissioner said "there is no way in 2007 election you will be finding 'NECON' stamps in INEC ballot papers.
"It is unacceptable, and if we don't do anything about it, then it means that we are giving colour to substantial irregularity - an irregularity that became an issue in the conduct of elections. It's a very serious matter and INEC is not going to take it lightly," he vowed.
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