The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in charge of the nation’s electoral process has admitted that its officials received part of the N23 billion alleged to have been disbursed by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison Madueke.
The Commission following the admission has formally suspended 205 personnel of the commission for allegedly receiving part of bribe ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Briefing journalists, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, a National Commissioner and member of the Information and Voter Education Committee at INEC, after a meeting of the leadership of the commission on Tuesday revealed that the commission has decided to place the 205 affected officials on half salaries.
He added that the commision had in line with its terms and conditions of service refered the affected persons and the case to the Presidency and the EFCC for further action and investigation.
Mallam Mohammed Haruna revealed that the decision to refer the case to the presidency is because it lacks the appropriate power to pursue the case.
Haruna said: “The commission met today (Tuesday) to consider the report of its expanded Appointment, Promotion and Disciplinary Committee on the EFCC Interim Report on Bribery, Corruption and Money Laundering Charges during the 2015 general elections.
“You may recall that late last year, the commission received an interim report from the EFCC detailing allegations against 202 serving and retired INEC officials and staff in 16 states of the federation.
“In furtherance of its zero tolerance for corruption in the electoral process, the commission ordered a thorough investigation into the allegations to establish the culpability or otherwise of those named in the EFCC report.
“The committee’s work was thorough and painstaking, involving issuance of queries to the 202 officials mentioned in the report and interviewing them individually in accordance with the principle of fair hearing and in consonance with INEC Staff Conditions of Service.
“As a result of the initial findings of the committee, an additional 80 serving officials of the commission, who were not named in the EFCC report but whose names came up in the course of the investigation, were also queried and interviewed.
“The cases of one former National Commissioner, five former Resident Electoral Commissioners (one of them deceased) have been referred to the Presidency and the EFCC for further necessary
action.
“Based on their level of involvement, 205 serving INEC staff will be immediately placed on interdiction, which entails suspension from duties and being placed on half salary, pending the final determination of the cases they have with the EFCC.”
Haruna further revealed that a non-governmental organisation, West African Network of Election Observers was used to carry out the bribery operation.
He revealed that the organisation was made up of retired INEC officials adding that the committee set up to probe the case was able to establish that INEC staff received N3,046,829,000 in 16 states to influence the 2015 general elections outcome.
“There was a clear attempt to bribe INEC staff to influence the outcome of the 2015 general elections using an NGO, West African Network of Election Observers, made up mainly of retired senior INEC officials.
“Out of over N23bn, which the EFCC report said was used to influence the elections, the committee established that N3,046,829,000 was received by INEC staff in 16 states.”