INEC set to prosecute 1m electoral offenders nationwide

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is set to begin nationwide prosecution of  about one million culprits  who were involved in multiple registration  during the voters registration exercise in 2011.

Mr Kayode Idowu, the Chief Press Secretary  to the Chairman of the  Commission Prof. Attahiru Jega, disclosed in an interview that the Commission, in collaboration with security agencies,  plans to drag electoral offenders from Anambra State  first before various law courts in the next few days.

He explained that  with the aid of a software used during  the voters registration exercise  over two years ago, INEC detected over 870,000 cases of multiple registration cases nationwide.

He continued: ' In Anambra alone, over 93,000 multiple registrants  were detected.  However,  the Commission lacks the capacity to prosecute all of them.  But we have the photographs, addresses and other information  of these multiple registrants.  This prosecution would serve as a deterrent to others'

He further said  the Commission plans to arrest hundreds of  culprits spread across all the local government areas in  the State and commence their prosecution before  INEC begins  continuous voters registration on the 19th of August.

' This planned  prosecution was conceived to demonstrate to  all future electoral offenders that INEC has the capability to detect anybody who engages in multiple registration in the forth-coming continuous voters registration in the state,' he said.