Full List of Electoral Offences and Punishments Ahead of Ekiti Governorship Election
- Ekiti State governorship election is scheduled for June 20, overseen by INEC
- Electoral offences range from voter registration violations to violence at political meetings
- UK to deploy observers for Ekiti and Osun elections, emphasising democratic progress
The Ekiti State governorship election will be held on Saturday, June 20, as earlier announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It is one of the eight off-cycle governorship elections in Nigeria.
Like other elections in Nigeria, there are electoral offences that attract punishments as prescribed by the Nigerian constitution when committed in the forthcoming elections.
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The electoral offences are listed below:
1. Registration offence
Section 114 (a to f) of the Electoral Act lists electoral offences related to voter registration.
They include double registration, forgery of registration card, impersonation of the registration officer, and other offences that might lead to "a maximum fine of N1,000,000 or to imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both."
2. Nomination offences
Section 115 borders on electoral offences that might be perpetrated by any candidate concerning their nomination.
These offences spelt out stipulations that condemn the forgery of nomination papers or results, forgery of ballot papers, destruction of ballot papers, possession of ballot papers without authority and others.
As the Electoral Act's statutory provision states, such offences will attract a fine of "N50,000,000 or imprisonment for a term not less than ten years or both."
3. Violence at political meetings
Section 116 of the Nigerian Electoral Act stipulates that:
"Any person who, at a political meeting, acts or incites another to act in a disorderly manner for the purpose of preventing the transaction of the business for which the meeting was convened, or has in his possession an offensive weapon or missiles, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both."
4. Improper use of voter card
Section 117 of the Electoral Act condemns the improper use of voter cards.
The Act reads:
"Any person who(a) being entitled to a voters card, gives it to some other person for use at an election other than an officer appointed and acting in the course of his or her duty under this Act
"(b) not being an officer acting in the course of his or her duty under this Act, receives any voters card in the name of some other person or persons for use at an election uses it fraudulently,
"(c) without lawful excuse has in his possession more than one voters card, or
"(d) buys, sells, procures or deals, with a voters card otherwise than as provided in this Act, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of N1,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both."
5. Impersonation and voting when not qualified
Section 119 condemns any attempt by an individual not qualified to vote to impersonate the identity of another voter.
The statute also frowns at a qualified voter who had voted during an election and decided to impersonate another person to vote again in the same election.
Such offences attract a "fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both."
Other notable electoral offences include dereliction of duty (Section 120), bribery and conspiracy (Section 121), and requirement of secrecy in voting (Section 122).
Others include wrongful voting and false statements (Section 123), voting by an unregistered person (Section 124), disorderly conduct at elections (Section 125), offences on election day (Section 126), undue influence (Section 127), threatening (Section 128), and so on.
Source: Twitter
UK to monitor 2 governorship elections
Legit.ng earlier reported that British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has said that the United Kingdom will deploy observers to monitor the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections.
Montgomery made the comment during his visit to the APC national chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, at the party's national headquarters.
According to the British commission, the UK respects Nigeria's sovereignty but has a keen interest in the country's democratic and economic progress.
Source: Legit.ng
