INEC, EFCC Name 2 SANs, 16 Others To Prosecute Electoral Offences

The Independent National Electoral Commission and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) have appointed two Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and 16 other lawyers to prosecute all electoral offences relating to financial crimes arising from the 2023 general elections.

LEADERSHIP Sunday reliably gathered from one of the lawyers, who does not want his name mentioned because he is not authorised to speak on the matter, that the 18 lawyers are all legal officers of both INEC and the EFCC.

The source also told our correspondent that the lawyers, most of whom played similar roles after the 2019 general elections, will prosecute on behalf of the two institutions all persons who security agencies arrested during the elections

The first SAN on the list, which our correspondent saw, is Abdulaziz Sani, who is from the legal department of the electoral umpire, while the other SAN is Rotimi Oyedepo, a popular prosecutor with the anti-graft agency.

The other lawyers from both commissions include Nasara H. Auta, Odinaka Ikoroha, Adeyemi Olufemi, Mahmud Tafarki, Ahmed Mohammed, Amaka Okwuaka, Enoch M. Akafa, and Temple Ukaegbu.

The others are Samuel Daji, Adaka Mainforce Ekwu, Soare Adebayo Benedict, Arumemi Moses, Abubakar Aliyu, Ikhamaede Ramai, Andrew Akojn, and Khalid Sanusi Sabo.

On March 14, INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said the commission was set up a legal team to deal with cases of electoral offenders during the February 25 presidential and National Assembly polls.

Similarly, the EFCC in March revealed that it arrested no fewer than 65 persons on 18 March 2023 across the 28 states where governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections were conducted for alleged voter inducement.