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Civil group storms INEC office, demands Mantu’s prosecution

Published

9 years ago

April 6, 2018

A civil society group, #OurMumuDonDo, has demanded INEC should prosecute former Senate President Ibrahim Mantu for electoral malpractices.

In a letter to INEC chairman Mahmoud Yakubu, the group stormed the commission office Friday, demanding the former Peoples Democratic Party stalwart should be arraigned for “subverting the will of the people during several elections.

In an interview on Channels TV last week, Mantu confessed that he rigged several elections for his former party by bribing electiom officers and security men for favour during elections.

The PDP has refuted his claims, and also disowned him.

According to the CSO in the letter, this is a good opportunity for the electoral commission to demonstrate its resolve to prosecute electoral offenders as a deterrent to others.

“As we have mentioned in our previous engagements with the INEC, the number of Nigerians going to the polling booths has been in a consistent decline since 2003 and the reason for this, among other disturbing factors, is the downright rigging of elections — a vile act which blatantly infringes on the right of the Nigerian people to freely exercise their franchise.

“It is therefore imperative that the electoral umpire, the INEC, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the law enforcement agencies, rise to this clarion call to prosecute Senator Mantu and all his accomplices.”

Mantu’s confession followed the public acknowledgement by the PDP of its past blunders that led to massive electoral losses in 2015.

According Chairman Uche Secondus, the former ruling party made several mistakes, and the voters punished it accordingly.