The House of Representatives has begun moves to investigate what it called improper interpretation of some sections of the 2022 Electoral Act by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The Green Chamber of the National Assembly said the recent actions of the commission and its officers called to question the credibility, transparency and accountability of the electoral umpire.
In a resolution arising from a motion by the member representing Gwer East/Gwer West Federal Constituency of Benue State, Mark Gbillah, the House resolved to investigate the interpretation of the provisions of the Electoral Act by INEC and its officers.
The investigation, the House said, is to seek “proper interpretation of provisions of Section 115(d) and other provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act by INEC, its National Commissioners, RECs and other workers, including the status of legal advice available within the commission to guide the implementation of the Act and determine whether any infractions have been committed by Mr. Mike Igini or any other INEC worker in their interpretation and implementation of the Act”.
The House is also to probe the process of voter registration by the commission, including alleged constraints on timely procurement/production of voter’s cards although the year to the 2023 elections.
It said the chamber will investigate existing due process in INEC’s decision making process on its guidelines and regulations to know if any of such decisions conflict with the provisions of the Act.
Moving the motion, Gbillah said there had been concerns about the INEC’s shortcomings in the conduct of recent off-season elections in Ekiti and Osun states.
The lawmaker said these concerns include INEC’s insistence on terminating the ongoing voter registration, regardless of the millions of Nigerians that will be disenfranchised.
He also expressed concerns about what he called INEC’s lack of entrenched due process in decision making, among others.
This, Gbillah said, makes the commission to make and change guidelines and regulations arbitrarily to the benefit of certain parties and sometimes in conflict with provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act.
He expressed concern “about the recent unguarded and erroneous interpretation of certain provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act by the INEC Resident Electoral Officer (REC) in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Mike Igini”.
According to him, referring to Section 115(d) of the 2022 Electoral Act, Igini said, amongst several other things, that politicians would go to jail for buying more than one nomination form.
Quoting the REC, Gbillah said: “We are preventing them from being candidates for prison and they are calling our names everywhere.”
The lawmaker said this implied that INEC was making decisions about politicians and the electoral process on the basis of “flawed interpretation of the Act without recourse to the National Assembly or a court of competent jurisdiction for proper interpretation”.
He said as originators and custodians of the 2022 Electoral Act, the House should be worried about the controversy Igini’s comments had generated across the country and the potential it has to heat up the polity.