Activist-lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has called for the arrest and prosecution of all those arrested during last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.

In a statement yesterday in Lagos, Falana, who is also the Chairman of Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), said operatives of the anti-graft bodies, the police and other security agencies confirmed the arrest of scores of suspected electoral offenders before and during the February 25 elections.

He said the anti-democratic elements were alleged to have committed electoral offences, such as money laundering, financial inducement of voters, snatching of BVAS machines, destruction of ballot papers, manipulation of election results, violent attacks on voters by thugs, ballot box snatching, forgery of election results, improper use of voter’s cards, impersonation, underage voting, dereliction of duty by electoral officers or polling agents of political parties, bribery and conspiracy as well as violation of the requirement for secrecy in voting, amongst other offences.

Falana urged the leadership of the INEC should give fiat to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) for the immediate prosecution of all suspected electoral offenders.

The activist-lawyer said this has become imperative because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), empowered by Section 145 of the Electoral Act, 2022, to prosecute electoral offenders has said it cannot combine the conduct of elections with the trial of electoral offenders.

He said following this posture of INEC, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) announced that its members were prepared to embark on the prosecution of electoral offenders in all the states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Falana recalled that in order to deal with electoral offences committed during this year’s elections across Nigeria, the Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform Panel had recommended the setting up of an Electoral Offences Commission but regretted that the recommendation was ignored by the political class.

“But due to pressure mounted on the National Assembly by progressive civil society groups, the Senate passed the Electoral Offences Commission Bill in July 2021.

“Up till now, the members of the House of Representatives have refused to pass the Bill for undisclosed reasons,” he said.

The activist-lawyer advised that the investigation of the electoral offences should be speedily concluded while the case files be immediately forwarded to the secretariat of the NBA in Abuja.

According to him, since there is no statute of limitation for electoral offences, some of the suspects who cannot be arrested or prosecuted for now, by virtue of Section 308 of the Constitution, should face the wrath of the law at the end of their term of office.

“Such public officers who abused their office should be treated like President Donald Trump, who is liable to be charged with the disruption of the November 2020 presidential election held in the United States,” Falana said.

He added: “It is sad to note that many voters and electoral officers, including youth corps members who resisted rigging, were brutalised on alleged orders of a governor.

“In another state, a governor engaged a contractor to dig holes and destroy a road to discourage voters from voting for a particular candidate.”

Falana urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate the complaints of all victims of electoral violence with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice.

The activists-lawyer said some political thugs have threatened to attack voters for casting their ballots for candidates of their choice.

“Our organisation is in touch with the police and other security agencies to prevent attacks on citizens for performing their civic duties,” he said.

Falana urged the police and other security agencies to ensure that the governorship and state legislative elections on March 11 are not hijacked or disrupted by thugs and other criminal gangs.(Vanguard)

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