INEC Slammed For Snubbing ICPC Anti-Corruption Training

Participants on the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) capability coaching for National Anti-Corruption Coalition (NACC) members on election monitoring have expressed disappointment over the absence of INEC on the programme.

The coaching, organised by the ICPC, was geared toward equipping NACC members with expertise for efficient election monitoring to make sure credible polls.

Mr Idris Abu, a member of NACC and the Executive Director of the Organisation of People’s Voice, stated this in a press release on Sunday in Abuja.

According to him, the programme is geared toward higher equipping NACC members for efficient election monitoring forward of the 2027 normal elections.

“It focused on two key areas: how to access grants to sustain grassroots anti-corruption advocacy, and how to better deliver the message of the commission to ordinary Nigerians at the grassroots.

“INEC as election umpire is a key stakeholder in such crucial engagement, its absence was not just disappointing but a clear sign that the electoral body is not serious about transparency and credible elections in 2027.

“How can ICPC be organising a programme to prepare civil society to monitor elections and INEC, the main actor, is absent? It shows lack of respect for stakeholders.

“If INEC cannot be present at a preparatory meeting now, how will they cooperate with observers during the general elections.”

He famous that NACC members throughout the nation had been able to take the anti-corruption and electoral integrity message to the grassroots.

He, nevertheless, stated that the members wanted collaboration from INEC, particularly on voter training, entry to info, and monitoring of vote-buying, which ICPC is focusing on.

He known as on INEC management to take its stakeholder engagement significantly and cease working in isolation.

He warned that with out synergy between ICPC, NACC and INEC, efforts to curb electoral corruption and grant manipulation on the grassroots in 2027 may fail.

Also talking, Mr Jare Tiamiyu, one other NACC’s member from Osun, stated he was equally disillusioned that INEC didn’t honour an invite from a constitutionally recognised sister company just like the ICPC.

“If ICPC, a constitutionally recognised agency, is inviting INEC and INEC is not responding, how do you think that any group or agency will invite INEC and they will respond?

“Openness is very important. We don’t have to wait until we have crisis before responding,” Tiamiyu stated.

Also Mr Felix Ojo, a member of NACC and a journalist, stated absence of INEC and its consultant at such essential engagement spoke volumes.

He urged the election umpire to provide precedence to conferences and engagements that would improve election’s integrity.

When contacted, the Director of Public Enlightenment and Education, ICPC, Mr Demola Bakare, stated the fee collaborated with competent companions, key amongst them was INEC, to coach stakeholders on credible election.

“Regrettably, we invited INEC but INEC they were not represented. All efforts to bring them into the programme till the last minutes failed.

“I sent out a deputy director to lead a team to convince INEC to come or send representatives here. We did that on two or three occasions but they refused to honour our invitation,” he stated.

He defined that, whereas ICPC has monitored elections up to now, it wished to formalise the method in order that its officers may very well be deployed alongside NACC members to look at elections collectively.

“They won’t say no for ICPC to monitor election, it is official, we have done it in the past. We want to formalise it so that we can go along with it.

“For example in the states, we deploy our officials with NACC members to observe the election together. That was what we want to negotiate with INEC but unfortunately they did not come,” Bakare added.

Responding, a senior officer within the INEC Chairman’s workplace, who wouldn’t wish to be quoted, refuted the declare that the fee intentionally absented itself from the programme.

The officer stated that INEC presently had collection of engagements because it ready for the 2027 normal elections and wouldn’t have intentionally ignored ICPC’s invitation.