The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on newly appointed INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, to make the prosecution of politicians and sponsors involved in electoral offences a top priority.
In a letter signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group urged Amupitan to ensure accountability for those responsible for vote-buying, electoral violence, bribery, conspiracy, and undue influence during both general and off-cycle elections held since 2015.
“Impunity for past electoral offences is a major barrier to free and fair elections in Nigeria. Mr Amupitan must demonstrate that INEC under his watch will not tolerate electoral crimes,” the letter dated October 11 stated.
SERAP noted that persistent election-related crimes have eroded public trust in the process, emphasizing that without punishment for offenders, future elections will continue to be compromised.
“Unless the culture of impunity is addressed and perpetrators—especially influential politicians and their sponsors—are brought to justice, those contemplating electoral crimes will remain emboldened,” the group warned.
The organization urged Amupitan to champion reforms to the Electoral Act, ensuring provisions for the timely prosecution of offenders and better access to justice for voters whose rights have been violated.
“Since 2015, elections in Nigeria have been plagued by violence, vote-buying, and other grave offences, yet high-ranking offenders rarely face justice,” SERAP said.
It added that the credibility of elections depends on the commission’s ability to investigate and prosecute electoral crimes effectively.
SERAP also called on Amupitan to prioritize the amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 to align with the 1999 Constitution and Nigeria’s international democratic obligations, ensuring credible polls ahead of the 2027 elections.
Professor Amupitan was recently nominated by President Bola Tinubu to succeed Professor Mahmood Yakubu, whose tenure as INEC Chairman ended last week. His appointment awaits confirmation by the Senate.