Acting on the report of the Joint Police/DSS Special Investigation Panel on the Rivers State Re-Run elections of 10th December 2016 and the Report of its Administrative Inquiry into the elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has decided that all the 28 indicted staff should face internal disciplinary action for gross misconduct, dereliction of duty and negligence.
The Commission also commended five staff and ad-hoc staff for outstanding performances and offered automatic employment to two corps members.
The disclosures were made on Friday at the Commission’s Headquarters in Abuja by the Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Prince Solomon Soyebi, during a press briefing.
The IVEC Chairman said: “The Commission received the Report of the Joint Police/DSS Special Investigation Panel on the Rivers State Re-Run elections of 10th December 2016.
“From the Report, we gathered that the Police have concluded their investigations and 25 INEC staff who were indicted will be prosecuted.
“The Commission has resolved to fully co-operate with the Police in this process. In addition and without prejudice to their prosecution, the indicted INEC staff will also face the Commission’s internal disciplinary process”.
He explained that 3 additional staff not captured in the Police Report but indicted by the Commission’s Administrative Inquiry Committee, will face disciplinary action alongside the 25 indicted by the Police Committee.
Prince Soyebi stressed that INEC will not shield any of its staff that engaged in any conduct that will undermine the integrity of the electoral process.
Acting on the Commission’s Administrative Inquiry Committee recommendation, The IVEC Chairman also disclosed that: “The Commission also accepted the recommendation to commend a number of ad-hoc and permanent staff, as well as Security officials who performed exceptionally well under very difficult circumstances of the elections, in particular, Prof Ralph Echebiri and Prof. Oji O. Ekemankama both of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike who served in Rivers West and East Senatorial Districts respectively; Aguna Isaac and Ademola Oluwatoba of the National Youth Service Corps, who served as Presiding Officers; and the Divisional Police Officer of Phalga at the time of the election, for his exemplary conduct and professionalism”.
He further disclosed that Aguna Isaac and Ademola Oluwatoba will be offered automatic employment by the Commission on completion of their youth corps service.
The IVEC Chairman revealed that arising from the lessons learned in the aftermath of the Rivers re-run, the Commission further accepted the immediate implementation of several recommendations that would improve the electoral process and stressed that a major overhaul of the entire Rivers State INEC office would be carried out.
