All staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are still working and receiving salaries.

Findings revealed that the staff, who the EFCC accused of receiving various sums of money to influence the general elections in 2015 are still working with the electoral body.

INEC Chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmoud, said recently that over 100 staff of the Commission are under investigation.

The INEC boss said: “so far, over a hundred staff of INEC have been invited. At a point, we toyed with the idea of speaking to the EFCC to see the weight of evidence they have so that we can take administrative action against our staff, but they are innocent until they are proven guilty. They have to be charged to court, but we have taken notice and we have a complete list.”

A total of N23.29b was disbursed under the poll bribery scam allegedly facilitated by the former Minister of Petroleum Resources and Peoples Democratic Party chieftain, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

The EFCC had indicted the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the 2015 election in Rivers State, Mrs. Gesila Khan, for allegedly collecting N185.8m from the money. She still holds sway in her official capacity.

Just last week the anti-graft body was reported to have seized two choice shopping malls from her, allegedly acquired with money believed to be from her share of the bribe.

A sum of N49 million found in an bank account belonging to her was said to have also been frozen by the EFCC.

One Fidelia Omoile, who was the INEC electoral officer in the Isoko-South Local Government Area of Delta State, allegedly got N112.4m.

Apart from tracing over N112m to her, the Commission also recovered some sensitive electoral materials during a search on her apartments in Edo and Delta States.

The Commission also arrested one Oluchi Brown, who was the INEC administrative Secretary in Delta State. She allegedly received over N111m.

Further investigations by detectives revealed that Brown had about $75,857 in an account in the United States. She is currently at large.

The anti-graft agency also arrested one Edem Effanga, who is a retired INEC official.

He was arrested alongside his alleged accomplice, Immaculata Asuquo, who is the Head, Voter Education, INEC, Akwa Ibom State.

He was alleged to have received over N241.1m, which he allegedly shared among INEC ad hoc workers during the last election.

In Gombe too, 11 officials of the Commission were quizzed in connection with the receipt and sharing of N120 million to compromise the election.

The bribe was allegedly negotiated and collected on behalf of the INEC staff by the electoral officers for Akko and and Gombe Local Government Councils , Ahmed Biu, and Mohammed Zannah from one Yunusa Ali Biri, a retired INEC official in the state, who acted as Gombe State coordinator for electoral officers during the poll.

According to the anti-graft agency’s finding, Biri was ingeniously designated and addressed as the “Coordinator of NGOs” in a bid to cover his identity for the dubious assignment.

The EFCC sources said: “The Electoral officers for Akko LGA and Gombe LG, Ahmed Ali Biu, and Mohammed.B.Zannah, admitted to have collected the bribe from one Yunusa Ali Biri, also a retired Electoral officer who acted as Gombe State coordinator of bribes for electoral officers in the State.”

The names of other electoral officers who reportedly collected the bribe, according to EFCC records were given as: Godwin Maiyaki Gambo, Balanga LGA, Bukar Alone Benisheik, Dukku LGA, Jibril. B. Muhammed,Billiri LGA, Dunguma Musa Dogona, Funakaye LGA, Mohammed. A. Wanka, Kaltungo LGA, Ishaku Yusuf, Kwami LGA, Suleiman Isawa, Nafada LGA, Babagana Malami, Shongom LGA, and Nuhu Samuel, Y/Deba LGA.

Investigations have however revealed that all of them are still on the payroll of the Commission.

The Civil Service Regulations Handbook, under Section B – Disciplinary Procedures: No. 9. Withholding Pay during Suspension: states: “Only in cases where there is strong prima facie evidence relating to the misappropriation of public funds or where a civil servant has been charged and remanded in custody awaiting trial, or the civil servant has been convicted of a criminal offence, should pay be withheld, in whole or in part, when suspension occurs under this paragraph…”

The question now arises, has prima facie case not been established against these staff, whose houses have been seized and accounts frozen? What of those who have confessed to the crime?

At the INEC headquarters in Abuja, a source who did not want his name in print, disclosed that the staff are still with the Commission.

He said no punitive action can be taken against them until they are found guilty by the court.

When asked whether it was proper for them to still be receiving salaries and entitlements, considering the huge sums of money they were alleged to have received as bribe, and if they ought not to go on suspension pending investigation and trial, he said it was a matter of civil service rule.

Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, also confirmed that they are still staff of Commission.

He said the Commission is still studying the situation carefully before taking action.

“Yes, they are still staff of the Commission. There are other names still coming up. The EFCC too has kept coming up with new names. Over a 100 of them now are under investigation, until they are proven guilty there is nothing we can do about it now.

“It is administrative rule and again we don’t know yet the next because lots of things are coming up. We are studying the situation carefully before any action is taken,” he said.

Of those who already confessed to the crime and whose properties seized and account frozen, he said: “We cannot treat one case in isolation. As far the case is the same, we cannot for now isolate one. Don’t forget there is legal basis to it too, we don’t want to go against the law”, he summed.

(The Street Journal)