PURGE LOOMS IN INEC

Last Wednesday’s resignation of the controversial Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Ondo State, Mrs. Ayoka Adebayo, may have set the stage for an inquest in the commission.

In resigning her appointment with INEC, Adebayo, who was indicted by the Justice Ayo Salami-led Court of Appeal in Ilorin, said that she was leaving the commission, having attained the age of 70, to explore other areas to invest her experience to the benefit of her fatherland.

investigations, however, showed that Adebayo was actually the first casualty in a purge designed by the chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega and his aides to cleanse the commission of tainted RECs and electoral officers.

INEC had set up a team of investigators to look into the cases of the RECs and EOs, who were found to have contributed to the fraud perpetrated during the tenure of Prof. Maurice Iwu, especially during the widely-condemned 2007 general elections.

An authoritative source in the commission said that INEC had commenced an investigation into the conduct of some members of the commission, who played leading roles in the notorious elections, especially the elections that were annulled by the tribunals.

Specifically, those who are the target of the probe are the RECs and EOs, whose names or offices were mentioned by the judges while delivering the verdicts leading to the upturning of the said elections.

Apart from the RECs and the EOs, some top officers in the headquarters of the commission in Abuja, who colluded with some RECs to perpetrate the absurdities that marred the 2007 elections, have also come under scrutiny, a step that might eventually lead to their exit from the commission.It was gathered from newsmen in Abuja on Friday the resignation of Adebayo and the ongoing investigation of the suspected members of the tainted cabal was causing panic in the ranks of the commission.

Jega had explained to the officials of the commission that “appropriate steps” would be taken against those found culpable of committing or abetting electoral fraud in the country in the past.
The “appropriate step,” it was gathered, meant the termination of the appointments of those concerned.
Also, it was gathered that there was more to Adebayo’s resignation from the commission.

One of the correspondents gathered that the legal department of INEC was engrossed in moves to prosecute her over her activities in the controversial Ido-Osi Local Government result in the April 25, 2009 governorship rerun in Ekiti State when Jega provided a sudden soft-landing for the septuagenarian REC in the guise of resignation.
It was learnt that quite a number of INEC officials might be affected in the purge expected to take place before the commencement of the 2011 elections.
It is on record that several National Assembly, governorship and house of assembly elections were annulled by electoral tribunals and appellate courts.
Some of the affected states are Ondo, Edo, Ekiti, Osun and Delta, where the governors were sent packing and others installed by the appellate tribunals because of the massive rigging that characterised the 2007 elections.

Elections were also upturned in Cross River, Sokoto, Kogi, Adamawa even though the governors were able to secure favourable verdicts at the appellate courts.
These are outside of the various judgements numbering not less that 18 that upturned the election of some lawmakers in the National Assembly, and the state houses of assembly.
But the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, denied the claims that Jega was prevailed upon to provide an easy exit for the embattled REC.
However, he confirmed the ongoing moves by the INEC boss to probe the activities of officials of the commission indicted by the various courts for complicity in electoral fraud.

He said the commission was studying the judgements and would go after those that were mentioned to have played ignominious roles in the last elections.
He said, “It is not true that the chairman gave her (Adebayo) a soft landing. I’m not aware of the reason she is resigning. I do know that she has resigned and she did indicate that she wants to explore other ways to serve the country.
“I assure you that all the reports or otherwise to that effect are not true. I can replay what the chairman has said a number of times that all the judgements that have been delivered, the commission is studying those judgements.
“And in cases where the officials of the commission that were indicted, either by name or by their offices, the commission is investigating them.
“And due process will be followed in dealing with the issue as long as there is a judgement that indicts them and those people who are indicted by name or by office; the commission is investigating those cases and following up on due process.
“One thing the commission will not do is to breach due process because of the sentiments of some people. For those judgements that have been delivered, those judgements are being studied, and for as many people that have been indicted, either by their names or by their offices, the chairman has made it clear that they are being investigated and are to be brought to book.
“As the judgements are being delivered and as long as they indict people in the commission, they are being studied; those people will be investigated and depending on the findings, appropriate steps will be taken. The chairman has made that unequivocally clear.

“I don’t know of any purge but if you call it purge, all I know is that the commission has made it clear that people who are complicit and are known to be complicit will not be spared. You can quote me on that. It is clear, the chairman has said it and he is not playing games on that.

“As long as people are complicit, judgements are delivered that they were guilty in manipulating elections and all that, they will be investigated and measures will be taken against them. If you call that a purge, I don’t know because when you say purge, it appears as if two-third of the commission will be cleared out. I don’t know about that.”