The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, was covered by immunity, as two Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials were sacked and another forced on a compulsory retirement for alleged involvement in the double registration of the Governor.
The Governor was reported to have registered as a voter in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on 30 of January, 2011 and re-registered in Kogi State Government House on 23rd of May, during the continuous registration exercise this year.
INEC has revealed it could not prosecute the Governor, as he is under the immunity embedded in Section 308 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.
“Following reports of the alleged double registration by the Governor of Kogi State in the on-going continuous voter registration (CVR) exercise, the commission set up a panel of investigation into the involvement of staff in the matter.
“While the Governor of Kogi state currently enjoys immunity from prosecution, the commission took the following decisions in respect of its own staff: Summary dismissal of two staff for acts of gross misconduct. Immediate and compulsory retirement of an Electoral Officer for act of gross misconduct.”
In May, the Commission had formally accused the Governor of violating the Federal Electoral law by registering twice after photographs surfaced on the internet, showing him being registered by INEC officials at his office.
It denied authorizing any staff to “re-register him or any citizen or to do so outside its designated CVR centres” and further stated that it would take disciplinary actions against the officials involved.
However, the Director-General, Media, and Publicity, Fanwo Kingsley, said his boss re-registered in Kogi because efforts to get his PVC transferred from Abuja proved abortive.
“From the first day, the Governor didn’t say he registered in Kogi State. It even came to the fore at the tribunals. He registered in Abuja.
“The Governor’s efforts to transfer the card from Abuja to Kogi State has not been successful, hence the need to seize this golden opportunity to get registered in Kogi State.”
In contrast to the above, according to TheCable, Bello had told State Correspondents that he was not around during the exercise.
“I travelled to Dubai on May 19 for a brief break and I saw the press release that I did a double registration on (May) 23, probably it is my ghost that must have done the double registration.”
The Electoral Act 2010, as amended in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Rules and Regulations prohibit more than one registration as a voter.
The penalty for the crime is a fine not exceeding N100,000 or one-year imprisonment or both.
