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Tag: NHRC

  • ‘Osunbor must face electoral offences’ trial’

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has justified its decision to recommend former Edo State Governor Professor Oserheimen Osunbor and some others for trial on electoral offences.

    The commission argued that its decision was informed by the fact that Osunbor was indicted by an electoral tribunal and upheld by the Court of Appeal, Benin in Edo State.

    NHRC’s position is contained in its reaction to a suit before the Federal High Court, Abuja, by Osunbor, challenging NHRC’s decision to include him in its recommendation, arguing that he was not accorded the right to fair hearing by the NHRC.

    The NHRC, last year, recommended to the attorney general of the federation (AGF), the prosecution of Osunbor, former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Clarence Olafemi; former Ekiti State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Ayoka Adebayo, and an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Christopher Oloyede for alleged violations of the Electoral Act, 2007.

    Osunbor was the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2007 election.

    The commission’s recommendation followed the findings of a Technical Working Group (TWG) in 2013, which reviewed cases of those indicted in judgments by the courts and election tribunals.

    The TWG submitted its initial report, finding out that some indicted individuals and institutions were identified, but were not prosecuted.

    NHRC said it acted pursuant to its powers under Section 6 (1) of the NHRC Act 1995.

    Yesterday, parties adopted their final addresses in relation to the substantive suit and the preliminary objection filed by NHRC.

    Femi Falana (SAN), who represented the NHRC, urged the court to dismiss the suit by Osunbor because the commission acted within its powers.

    “We have deposed in our supporting affidavit that in the exercise of the NHRC’s statutory power, recourse was made to the judgment of a court and that the holding of the tribunal formed the basis of the defendant’s recommendation, Falana said.

    The NHRC, in the supporting affidavit referred to by Falana, noted that Osunbor, who was named as the third respondent in the petition before the election tribunal, which sat in Benin, was linked to the act of electoral offences at the hearing of the petition.

    It said Osunbor “has not been prosecuted for any electoral offence despite evidence against him at the hearing of the election petition No: EDGV/EPF/1/07. The plaintiff has never been tried for any electoral offence.”

  • Too much blood has been shed in Rivers, says NHRC

    Too much blood has been shed in Rivers, says NHRC

    Too much blood has been shed in Rivers State, Chairman, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Prof Chidi Odinkalu has said.

    He spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt during a visit to the Greater Tomorrow Campaign office of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr Dakuku Peterside.

    Odinkalu, who is on a fact-finding mission to Rivers State, was accompanied by members of the commission’s governing council.

    Peterside told the NHRC delegation that in the last one year, no fewer than 30 people have been killed in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area.    Odinkalu said: “Rivers State is my home because I have families here and they are on both sides of the divide. I wish to offer my condolences because a lot of blood has been shed. It does not matter where you belong but at the end of the day, those killed are our brothers and sisters. We didn’t want to sit in Abuja and assume that we know what is happening through twitter. We are here because we want to see both campaigns. We also want to see evidence of those who were killed. Do we have names and documents? Can we get a sense of what is happening? Do we have records?

    “We will see the Commissioner of Police for more details. There is no alternative to civil and democratic governance and Rivers State is strategic in this respect. That is why we wish to start from here. Our role is not to take sides. We are all worried, not just because we have families and friends; if we don’t have a country that exists, we can’t even do politics, we can’t do public service or think of improving our country. That is the spirit of this visit, to engage and try to understand the issues. Nobody wants a situation when we end elections and the country is not governed or stable enough. We must all work to see how we can pull ourselves back to a place of civility and minimise violence. And we must rise to the challenge of protecting our country by ensuring that we are committed to a better country.

    “Now in the latest incident in Okrika, we had a man in uniform killed. It is unacceptable… We are going to visit PDP campaign office, Rivers State police command and INEC to ensure the end of incessant attack in the state.”

    The NHRC chief said it was unfortunate that those killed and those whose properties have been damaged are citizens of this state, adding that politicians can only govern when the society is stable.

    Peterside, on behalf of his party and the campaign organisation, thanked Odinkalu for his commission’s interest in the crisis in Rivers State, adding that his supporters would not consider reprisal attacks no matter the provocation.

    He said: “I am sure that before coming to Rivers State, you must have received – with mixed feelings – our stories of political violence. These negative stories appear to have overshadowed the achievements of this government. Your visit, I must say, will show you that we are peace-loving people. When we experience one form of violence in one part of the country, the ripple effects are felt in other parts of the country. So, it is in our best enlightened interest to ensure that whenever it occurs, we put a check for the good of all of us.

    “In the last few weeks, most of you would have read about Rivers State with the political violence, kidnapping, robbery, killing and one conflict or the other.  It appears that the negative stories have dropped our accomplishments and the successes we have recorded.”

    “I must commend your commission for this intervention. This effort to help monitor and curtail this distressing degree of human rights abuses is most welcome because lives are wasted daily. I was shocked to discover that in less than one year in one local government area alone (Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni), we lost 30 persons to political violence.

    “In Okrika, you would have read in the papers that we are not allowed to campaign there. Similar scenario is playing out in Ogo Bolo Local Government Area. I am told, though unconfirmed that some chiefs in Okrika issued an order barring us from coming to campaign in Okrika and I am wondering if Okrika is not part of Rivers State. “

    Peterside urged politicians to eschew bitterness in their quest for power. He said power only comes from God, urging them to appeal to voters with their programmes rather than resorting to intimidation and violence.

    He presented to Odinkalu his manifesto titled Road Map to Prosperity and documents on the violence in Rivers State.

  • Hate speech: APC reports First Lady to NHRC, ICC 

    Hate speech: APC reports First Lady to NHRC, ICC 

    First Lady Patience Jonathan has been reported to the International Criminal Council (ICC) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

    The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Organisation accused the First Lady of threatening the lives of members with her pronouncement at a rally in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, when she asked PDP supporters to “stone” anyone who came to the state asking for “change.

    The Organisation’s Director-General and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi said in a letter of complaint is expected to be dispatched to the ICC, NHRC and the Inspector General of Police today: “Change, as the entire country must know by now, is the slogan of the APC – the rallying cry of a political party that wishes to bring hope of greater and better things to come for Nigeria and Nigerians. By her statement, Mrs. Jonathan was clearly calling on PDP supporters in Calabar to attack supporters and campaigners of the APC in the state.”

    He likened some of Mrs. Jonathan’s inciting statements and conduct during the political campaign season, to those of Mrs Simone Gbagbo, wife of the former President of Cote D’Ivoire, Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, prior to that country’s 2010 election. He recalled that the ICC indicted Mrs. Gbagbo for her part in planning to perpetrate brutal attacks,  including murder, rape, and sexual violence, on her husband’s political opponents in the wake of the 2010 election.

    The governor added:  ”Mrs. Jonathan does not occupy any formal office in the Nigerian government, as the position of First Lady is not recognised by the Nigerian constitution. But Mrs. Gbagbo’s case shows the ICC’s awareness of how someone beyond formal governmental and military hierarchies can be identified as responsible for serious international crimes.”

    Mrs Jonathan said at another rally in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, that Gen. Muhammadu Buhari the APC’s presidential candidate, is “brain dead.” That statement has equally attracted condemnation by many Nigerians.

    Amaechi added that Mrs. Jonathan’s “incontrovertible hate speech” not only contravenes the laws of the land, but also goes completely against the Abuja Peace Accord jointly signed by the two presidential candidates Gen. Buhari and President Goodluck Jonathan – a gesture which is aimed at forestalling violence before, during and after the 2015 elections.

    “PDP supporters in the state who may not know better could easily yield themselves to the First Lady’s admonition and embark on a process of wanton stoning and other attacks against APC members,” Amaechi said.

    He urged the police to plan emergency measures to protect the lives and property of APC members in Calabar and the entire Cross River State.

  • NHRC to begin probe of pre-polls violence, hate speech

    NHRC to begin probe of pre-polls violence, hate speech

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has begun investigation into cases of pre-election violence and hate speech.

    Members of the governing council/management of commission will soon be dispatched to states like Kaduna, Benue, Lagos and Rivers, which had recorded high cases of pre-election violence.

    In a statement yesterday, the commission’s Chief Press Secretary, Mrs. Fatimah Mohammed Agwai, said the NHRC has so far received about 16 complaints from persons and groups on election related violence.

    She said the visit by the commission’s officials to the identified states would enable them interact with key political actors and security personnel on strategies to prevent election violence during the general elections.

    The NHRC urged “all stakeholders to avail it with useful information  to enable it take informed decisions on cases of election violence.”

  • Ekiti violence: NHRC to invite Fayose, others

    Ekiti violence: NHRC to invite Fayose, others

    The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said yesterday that it will invite Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose and others accused of being behind the increasing violence and right abuses against opposition figures in the state.

    NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Professor Bem Angwe, said this yesterday while receiving some representatives of the Ekiti State government who were in his office to present the governor’s response to a petition submitted to the commission penultimate Friday by some leaders of the Ekiti chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The APC members accused Fayose and his supporters of sponsoring violent attacks against members of the opposition party in the state.

    Angwe said : “We are happy that you have chosen to come to respond to the allegations against Dr. Ayodele Fayose. Upon the receipt of the petition (by the APC),  we had dispatched an invitation to the governor and the PDP Chairman in Ekiti State. We are happy that you are here to represent the governor and that the PDP Chairman in Ekiti is here in person.

    “On the receipt of that petition, we had said that the commission would invoke its powers to ensure that justice is done irrespective of position as there is no immunity when it comes to the abuse of the rights of Nigerians. We would invoke our powers and involve international human rights bodies to ensure that justice is done.

    “We had also said if the petition is found not to be true we would not hesitate to punish the conveyors of the false allegation.

    “We would in due course invite all the parties involved including Governor Fayose to appear before us to state their sides of the story. I want to restate that we would be fair, but firm,” Angwe said.

    Ekiti State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Owoseni Ajayi, who led the government delegation from the state,  said the Ekiti government has respect for the NHRC  as a statutory body established for the protection of human rights.

    “We, as a government, cannot fold our hands when we are being accused of abuse of human rights abuses, we therefore wish to respond to the allegation that there are serious human rights abuses in Ekiti.

    “If the opposition is sincere, they would have attested to the fact the Ekiti State has been one of the most peaceful states in the federation.

    “Harly had the new government of Dr. Fayose settled down, when petitions started pouring in concerning flagrant infractions of fundamental rights, abuse of office and injustice meted out to people in Ekiti State while the Government of Kayode Fayemi held sway.

    “Notable among these incidents is the case of the alleged murder of one Ayodele Ogudu Jeje by the State Chairman of the APC, Chief Jide Awe and his cohorts on March 30th,2013 at Erijiyan Ekiti. The police investigated the matter and indicted the suspect and four others and charged them to court for prosecution.

    “Surprisingly the government of Kayode Fayemi using his Attorney-General and Commission of Justice, Wale Fapohunda frustrated justice by filling a nolle prosequi against all the suspects on February 11th,2014,” Ajayi said.

  • Obasanjo, Adoke frustrating probe of ‘snipers training’, says NHRC

    Obasanjo, Adoke frustrating probe of ‘snipers training’, says NHRC

    The planned investigation by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of the allegation by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that President Goodluck Jonathan was training and arming killer squad for this year’s elections has been frustrated.

    NHRC Chairman  Dr. Chidi Odinkalu, who said this in Abuja at the weekend, blamed the uncooperative attitude of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Adoke (SAN), and Obasanjo for the hindrance facing the probe.

    Dr. Odinkalu said the AGF and the former president, who are key to the investigation, refused to honour NHRC’s requests to furnish it with the information and evidence it required to carry out the investigation.

    Obasanjo had, in an 18-page letter to Jonathan in December 2013, accused the president of, among others, keeping over 1,000 people on his political watch list, secretly training snipers and other armed men as well as acquiring weapons for political purposes.

    The NHRC boss said the commission, in trying to afford all concerned the opportunity to make representations, had written to both men twice, but without response from them.

    “What happened was very straightforward. We need materials and evidence from different people. We have written to the attorney general of the Federation to give us his evidence. We have written to General Obasanjo to give us his evidence.  And we have heard from neither side. Now, we have repeated the demand and we have heard from neither side.

    “The process is facts-based. It is evidence-led. We are not going to sit down here and manufacture evidence. We wanted to give everybody a chance before proceeding. Again, we wanted to convene the public hearing. But again, it was close to the elections.

    “So, we took a deliberate decision that we did not want to make that a factor in the elections. After the elections, we are going to convene that hearing. But if the attitude continue, which is that neither side is willing to give us evidence, we will adjourn it sine die (indefinitely),” he said.

    Dr. Odinkalu also explained why the commission decided not to go public on its conclusion in the case of rights abuse made against Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime by his wife, Clara.

    Mrs. Chime had accused her husband of keeping her incommunicado against her wish on allegation that she was mentally unstable.

    “The commission also has the responsibility to fashion remedies to fit the facts. In the case of the wife of the Enugu State Governor, the most important thing for us was that there is a child, who is barely four years old.

    “We have a responsibility to that child. And everything we have done has been focused on making sure that that child is protected. Everything we did was done in the best interest of that child,” he said.

    The NHRC boss said his commission would undertake an independent investigation into allegations of rights abuses by the opposition, which claimed agents of the Federal Government had bugged telephones and deployed armed soldiers against it.

    “If somebody wants the commission to be involved, he should bring us the materials, give us the evidence or allow us to access the evidence.

    “We have received about 10 petitions on election related violence. We have constituted the most high-powered investigating team this commission has ever instituted to see us through the season of election violence related incidents.

    “We will take everything. We are not going to shirk it. We are going to do our homework and necessary investigations and come out with our findings,” he said.

  • NBA to INEC: allow eligible voters to vote

    NBA to INEC: allow eligible voters to vote

    THE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that every eligible Nigerian was allowed to exercise his/her right to vote during next month’s general elections.

    The NBA said following INEC’s inability to fully distribute permanent voter’s cards (PVC) to all eligible voters, it would amount to denying them their right to vote should registered voters be denied the opportunity to vote because he/she has no PVC.

    NBA’s General Secretary Afam Osigwe said although INEC could make regulations to ensure free and fair election, its position that only those with PVCs would vote was outside the requirement under the Electoral Act.

    Osigwe, who spoke in Abuja yesterday, said the requirement under the Electoral Act was that to be eligible to vote, one must have his/her name on the voter register.

    “INEC had powers to make regulations. But if such regulations offend the right of citizens to vote, that will not be accepted. INEC must do all it can to ensure that every  eligible voter is allowed to vote with  PVC or not.

    “The IDPs (internally displaced people) have the right to vote. It is not whether they should vote. It is that they should be provided with all they need to vote,” he said.

    Osigwe spoke while contributing to discussions during a meeting of stakeholders on Franchise 2015 Project, an initiative of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to campaign against hate speech and other acts capable of igniting violence before, during and after next month’s elections.

  • There is fear over 2015 polls, says NHRC chief

    There is fear over 2015 polls, says NHRC chief

    THE Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Prof. Bem Angwe, said yesterday that there was growing apprehension among Nigerians about whether or not elections will hold next year.

    Angwe, who cited the problem of insecurity as the major cause of the general fear, noted that it was worrisome that the apprehension has persisted despite assurances by the Federal Government.

    Angwe spoke at the NHRC headquarters in Abuja, while receiving a delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by former Ghanaian President, John Kufuor.

    His words:  “On the eve of the 2015 elections, there are vibrations across the country. There are fears, there are apprehensions.

    “Despite the assurances of the electoral body and the Federal Government, the fears still exist.

    “Your Excellency, being one of the leaders in the West Africa, we are sure that you are aware of these security challenges that face Nigeria today.

    “The activities of the insurgent groups threaten the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria.

    “Questions are being asked on daily basis whether Nigeria will conduct elections in some states that today are under emergency rule or where there is a lot of security challenges”.

    He said his commission was working to end electoral impunity by ensuring that electoral offenders were prosecuted according to existing laws.

    Angwe said NHRC was planning to make public, names of Nigerians indicted for electoral offences, and whose prosecution the commission has recommended to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

    The commission released a list of similar names earlier this year and recommended to the AGF to prosecute them.

    The AGF failed to act on the NHRC list and some of those, whose names were contained in the list, have sued the commission.

    “In some few weeks to come, the commission is still going to release another set of persons, who were specifically indicted in the 2011 general elections to have committed various election offences for prosecution.”

    He said the law could only be effective when the sanction attached to it was being enforced.

    Kuffor said his delegation was in the country for a pre-election assessment of the nation’s preparedness for next year’s elections.

     He said the delegation was earlier at the ECOWAS secretariat in Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party, the United Nation Development Programme and the Independent National Electoral Commission as part of its assessment tour.

     Kufuor added that his delegation was at the NHRC to learn from its activities, particularly in the areas of human rights in order to “to compose a report on the situation on the ground in Nigeria and the preparedness of the nation for the election of the presidency and the legislature.”

    He cautioned Nigerian authorities against erecting obstacles capable of hampering the people in the exercise of their rights, noting that respect for human rights forms the pillar of democratic governance.

  • Don’t turn Nigeria into one-party state, activists warn

    Don’t turn Nigeria into one-party state, activists warn

    Coalition of rights groups, the Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC), yesterday accused President Goodluck Jonathan of sponsoring the impeachment of opposition governors to turn the country into a one-party state.

    NHRC’s allegation came amid denials by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that neither President Jonathan nor the national leadership of the ruling party was involved in the impeachment of former Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako and the planned impeachment of Nasarawa State Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura.

    Addressing reporters yesterday in Lagos, the group said it was against the impeachment of governors because the process was driven by the interest of the President to control the states ahead of next year’s general elections.

    The leader of one of the groups and Coordinator of Journalists for Democratic Rights, Adewale Adeoye, said the President may be shooting himself in the foot with his recent political moves.

    The activist urged Jonathan to retrace his steps.

    He said: “There is nothing wrong when governors, who have been genuinely found to have abridged the laws, are removed within the confines of the constitution. It is a bonus for democracy and it deepens democratic culture.

    “Our fear is that these removals were financially induced and not driven by the people but by the interest of a particular hegemony. The impeachments, as we have seen, are driven by the fact that somebody thinks he has to be in control of all the states of the country.

    “We think this move is unhealthy for democracy. It nozzles the pulse of the opposition and defeats the culture of vibrant democracy and could also be a way of the Presidency shooting itself in the foot without knowing it.”

    In a statement read at the event by Kehinde Adegbuyi, the NHRC urged the people of Nasarawa State to recall all the lawmakers found culpable in the plot to unseat Al-Makura for allowing themselves be used by Jonathan to impose the PDP leadership on the state.

    The statement reads: “The plot to remove the governor is part of the ongoing campaign to turn Nigeria into a one-party state and suppress the voices of dissent. We believe the allegation that 20 lawmakers have been bribed to remove Nasarawa State governor at all cost. The plot to remove him has nothing to do with justice or corruption. It is a clear case of desperation by the PDP to rule and probably ruin Nigeria.

    “Since this move, there have been protests in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, leading to the avoidable deaths of at least two people. Curiously enough, the impeachment move came three days after the visit of President Jonathan to inaugurate the Ola Rice Farm at Rukubi, Doma Local Government Area of the state.”

     

     

    “We wonder why Al-Makura is being asked to go two years after he may have committed some of these alleged crimes. What were the lawmakers waiting for in the last two years?”

    The coalition noted that though Jonathan has the constitutional right to seek re-election during the general elections, he would be undermining democratic processes should he continue to destabilise and destroy the path he is expected to tread in his second term journey.

    NHRC said: “The attack on the opposition is a clear indication of an act of intolerance. The removal of Nyako and the planned removal of Nasarawa State governor (Al-Makura) is a reflection of corruption within the political class, naked abuse of power and presidential recklessness. These acts can spur political upheavals that may undermine the entire political process.

    “We stand by the ordinary people of Nasarawa State and urge them to rise up to the occasion by blacklisting lawmakers who have been bribed to impeach the governor. They should be immediately recalled by the voters in the affected constituencies in Nasarawa State.

    “We hereby launch the ‘Campaign Against Impunity and Dictatorship’ in Nigeria, using the Nasarawa State political situation as a launch pad.”

     

  • Osunbor sues NHRC for indictment over electoral offences

    Former Edo State Governor Professor Oserheimen Osunbor has sued the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) over its recent recommendation to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) that the ex-governor and other individuals be prosecuted for alleged violation of electoral laws.

    Osunbor, in the suit initiated via originating summons, marked; FHC/ABJ/CS/374/2014 filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja, queried the powers of the NHRC to make such recommendations to the AGF and accused  the commission of denying him fair hearing in the proceedings leading to the production of its report of February this year.

    But the NHRC has insisted that it acted within its powers. The commission had, after reviewing the various judgments by courts and election tribunals, suggested to the AGF that some 41 people, including Osunbor, allegedly indicted in the judgments, be prosecuted for election related offences.

    Osunbor, who is seeking N500million in damages “for the mental agony, torture, pain and psychological trauma” allegedly caused him by the report by the NHRC, raised four questions for the court’s determination and and sought seven reliefs.

    He wants an injunction restraining the NHRC and its agents from taking any step or action to circulate the report or produce any other one or a final report in furtherance of the earlier published initial report and a declaration that, by the combined provisions sections 5 and 6 of NHRC Act, Section 214 of the Constitution and Section 4 of the Police Act, the defendant lacks the powers to investigate electoral offences as stipulated in sections 124 and 139 of Electoral Act 2006.

    The plaintiff also seeks a declaration that the defendant, in exercise of its powers under sections 5 and 6 of the NHRC Act, the commission is bound to follow the extant provisions of Section 36 of the Constitution and the rules of natural justice. He wants the court to declare that the recommendation contained in its initial report of February 2014, as it relates to the plaintiff, are ultra vires, null and void.

    He equally wants the court to declare that the NHRC “is not empowered by law to review the judgment of a competent court or tribunal and to arrive at a different conclusion from that of the court or tribunal for the purpose of indicting the plaintiff for criminal prosecution.”

    Last Tuesday, plaintiff’s lawyer, Udu Diegbe told the court that though the defendant was served with processes in relation to the suit, it is yet to file any response. NHRC was also not represented by any lawyer, forcing the trial judge, Justice Evoh Chukwu to adjourn to October 7 for mention.

    The NHRC had last year constituted a Technical Working Group (TWG) comprising of academics in the field of Law to carry out a general review of those indicted for electoral offences in judgments by the courts and election tribunals.

    The TWG submitted its initial report, where it found that some individuals and institutions indicted by the various election petition tribunals and courts of record were identified, but were not prosecuted as required under the Electoral Act.

    Relying on the provisions of sections 5 and 6 of the NHRC Act, the commission recommended the AGF, the prosecution of those the TWG found to have been indicted in the various judgments it reviewed. The commission said the recommendation was pursuant to its powers under Section 6 (1) of the NHRC Act 1995 as amended.

    One those recommended for prosecution is Prof Osunbor. His inclusion, the NHRC said, is in relation to the findings of the election tribunal in the petition by Governor Adams Oshiomhole, where the tribunal came out with criminal and administrative indictments against the respondents in the case.

    Also recommended for prosecution were former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Clarence Olafemi; former Ekiti State Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Ayoka Adebayo, and an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Christopher Oloyede.

    The case against Mrs Adebayo, according to the NHRC, was in relation to her role in the election in Ekiti State as captured in the tribunal’s finding in the judgment in the petition by Governor Kayode Fayemi against Mr.Olusegun Oni and others.

    The NHRC said on ASP Christopher Oloyede, the Court of Appeal held: “The evidence on record showed that a policeman, ASP Christopher Oloyede, signed an election result sheet as a party agent on behalf of the PDP. This is an illegality and violation of electoral rules both by INEC and the police.”