The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has explained why it cannot investigate Ibrahim Mantu, who recently confessed to rigging previous elections for the PDP.
Ibrahim Mantu
While speaking with a PUNCH Correspondent on Saturday, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, the Director of Publicity and Voter Education of INEC, said it cannot investigate a former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, who recently confessed to rigging previous elections in the country in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party.
He said the Electoral Act (Sections 149 and 150), gives INEC powers to prosecute electoral offenders but does not give the commission the power to make arrests and investigate electoral crimes, adding that “if any security agency sends a report to the commission regarding Mantu’s claim, then INEC will take action.”
When asked when INEC would take action, he said, “We are not an investigative body. We can only prosecute when investigation had been concluded.
“The security agencies have to investigate first and when they have concluded their investigation, they will send the case files to us and if there is a case that has been established, we will prosecute.”
However, senior police officer disclosed on Saturday, that Mantu would only be investigated if INEC sent a petition to the police authorities.
He stated that the Force could not take any action against the former deputy Senate president because there was no complaint before the police about Mantu’s alleged violation of the electoral laws.
“Notwithstanding the admission of electoral crime by the former deputy Senate President, we can only investigate him if there is a formal complaint by INEC or other agencies.
“For now, we don’t regard the telecast as an admission of crime until we receive a complaint following which we would invite Mantu and interrogate him,” the senior officer had stated.
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