About 100 Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) officials are likely to face trial for indictment in the
N23.29b bribe during the 2015 elections.
They will face internal disciplinary action
before being handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
for prosecution, The Nation learnt.
EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu and INEC
Chairman Mahmood Yakubu are to meet on the interim report on the scandal.
The report, The Nation learnt,
indicts two Resident Electoral Commissioners – Gesil Khan, Mr. Slyvester
Ezeani – 16 directors and 82 others.
Some of those indicted have refunded money and a
few others have their assets confiscated by EFCC.
A source in the EFCC, who
spoke in confidence, said: “We are set for the trial of the indicted INEC
officials. We are making the interim report of our investigation available to
INEC any moment from now.
“We have a major
challenge in INEC. The electoral commission said its rules and regulations do
not allow it to hand over the indicted officers to the EFCC for prosecution.
“It said once a report is
filed by the anti-graft commission, the INEC management will invoke internal
disciplinary mechanism since the allegations are on election matters.
After the disciplinary action, the EFCC can arraign them in court.
“We are trying to follow
due process as much as possible. So far, INEC has cooperated in releasing all
those invited for questioning.
“Once the EFCC and INEC
chairmen meet in the next few days, we will then know where we are going.”
A National Commissioner,
who spoke in confidence, said: “We are awaiting the report of the EFCC and when
we get it, we will subject the affected officials to our internal process. We
are operating in a democratic environment and we have to observe due process in
whatever we are doing.
“So far, we have lived up
to expectations in handing over any INEC officials implicated to EFCC for
interrogation, we have not shielded anybody no matter how highly placed.
“We have also taken
pre-emptive steps to check these 100 employees. We have exempted them from
sensitive operations of the commission pending the conclusion of investigation
and the outcome of their trial if any.
The EFCC has been probing
the embattled former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke,
on her alleged involvement in a $115m (N23, 299,705,000billion) 2015 poll
bribery scandal.
About four oil firms, 14
directors of oil companies, two banks and some politicians are under probe.
Some INEC officials
already grilled are REC Gesil Khan for allegedly collecting N185, 842,000
out of a N681million bribe; Fidelia Omoile( Electoral Officer in Isoko-South
Local Government Area of Delta State)—N112,480,000 ; Uluochi Obi Brown( INEC’s
Administrative Secretary in Delta State)—N111,500,000; a former Deputy
Director of INEC in Cross River state, Edem Okon Effanga—N241,127,000 and
the Head of Voter Education in INEC in Akwa Ibom, Immaculata
Asuquo—N214,127,000.
Also, a retired INEC
official, Sani Isa, was grilled over alleged N 406,206,000 bribe
allegedly collected on behalf of the deceased Resident Electoral
Commissioner (REC) in Kano State, Alhaji Mukaila Abdullahi.
Those grilled in Gombe
are: Godwin Maiyaki Gambo Balanga, Bukar Alone Benisheik, Dukku, Jibril. B.
Muhammed,Billiri, Dunguma Musa Dogona, Funakaye, Mohammed. A. Wanka, Kaltungo,
Ishaku Yusuf, Kwami, Suleiman Isawa, Nafada, Babagana Malami, Shongom, and Nuhu
Samuel, Y/Deba.
thenation
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