From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a bill seeking to establish the National Electoral Offences Commission.
The proposed legislation, which is sponsored by the chairman, House Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun, was passed for second reading, at yesterday’s plenary, after a brief synopsis by the sponsor.
The Commission, when established would be saddled with the prosecution of electoral Offences..
Balogun, in a brief synopsis on the bill, noted that elections in the country is plagued with several challenges, including vote buying. Nonetheless, he stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), which is expected to check the menace of electoral malpractices is overwhelmed.
Consequently, the lawmaker stated that it is imperative to have a separate commission that will be devoted solely to combating electoral malpractices.
According to him, “The integrity of our electoral system continues to be challenged by many factors including vote buying.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission is overwhelmed with the conduct of elections. So, it is important that we have a commission separate from INEC that is solely in charge of prosecuting electoral offenders “.
In the aftermath of the 2007 general elections, a panel headed by former Chief Justice of Nigeria ( CJN), Justice Muhammadu Uwais, had recommended the unbundling of INEC and the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission to tackle electoral fraud.
Since then, there have been repeated moves by the National Assembly to pass a bill for the establishment of the Electoral Offences Commission, without success.
In the 2022, the 9th House passed a bill to establish the Electoral Offences Commission for second reading. However, it was eventually not passed into law.