Facts emerged on Monday that the Independent National Electoral Commission may be shielding six Presiding Officers listed as witnesses by one of the accused from being quizzed by the Police headquarters in the N250m bribery rocking the commission.
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Mrs Ayoka Adebayo, Resident Electoral Commissioner of Ekiti State

A bribery row broke out in INEC shortly after its personnel involved in the Ekiti rerun elections as presiding and collation officers in Ido-Osi Local Government Area, returned to Abuja.

It was gathered in Abuja that the Investigating Police Officer in charge of the case had gone twice to the INEC office to demand the release of the six people for questioning but the INEC Secretary, Alhaji Abdullahi Kaigama, reportedly aborted the move.

Kaigama allegedly told the IPO that the commission would not want any of its personnel to be disturbed by way of invitation.

The whistle-blower in the bribery saga, Mr. John Onaji, had on April 30 mentioned the six NEC officers to Mr. J.B Awelewa, as among the INEC personnel that Mr. Olumide Yomi addressed when he said he had provided some ‘kola’ for them

Awelewa is a Deputy Commissioner of Police, heading the Police Unit at INEC headquarters.

Sources alleged that INEC’s plot was to ensure that none of the six officers who served as presiding officers corroborated Onaji’s statement before the police.

A source said, “The IPO from Police headquarters has been to the INEC twice to ask the six people that Onaji had mentioned to have been at the meeting when the alleged money provider, Mr. Olumide Yomi, addressed them in Ido-Osi to come forward for interrogation.

“Each time he (the IPO) met the INEC Secretary, Kaigama, he refused to release them. The secretary said that they don’t want anybody to disturb them.”

According to a source, the INEC chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu, had on Wednesday, addressed employees of the commission and assured them that the bribery scandal matter had been settled.

But investigations showed that it was the same day that Onaji and Yomi were quizzed and detained till Friday when they regained their freedom.

Also, it was gathered that the commission had embarked on the mass transfer of those linked to the bribery scandal outside the headquarters, while some had been penciled for dismissal.

Some of the 31 officers earlier mentioned as being involved in the bribery expressed fears that their career might be jeopardised.

However, they vowed to open up on more sordid acts at the commission should their fears be founded.

“Let them sack us and we will make known the people who have been sharing money at the commission,” they said.

A source also explained that collection of money by INEC officials did not start with the Ekiti rerun polls.

According to the source, similar ‘bazaars’ have taken place in Kogi, Adamawa, and Enugu states.

“It is not today (bribery) that it started. It has been happening in INEC. We went to Kogi, Adamawa and Enugu; all these issues have been there,” he explained.

It was gathered that the presidential panel investigating the scandal had not yet quizzed the whistleblower, Onaji, fuelling speculations that it might have concentrated on the security implications of the Ekiti rerun election debacle.

In Onaji’s April 30 statement to the Police at INEC, he had claimed that presiding officers were to collect N100,000 each while collation officers were to smile home with N200,000 each.

He had also explained that Yomi addressed INEC staff posted to Ido-Osi LG for elections at Federal Technical Science Secondary School on April 24, where he told them that he had made a gift available to one Mr. Okey Ndeche of the Operations Unit.

Before the case was taken over by the Force headquarters, Awelewa had written to the INEC secretary, on May 4, 2009, seeking the release of 31 personnel for questioning.

The list comprised 11 collation officers on salary grade levels 14 and 15, and 21 others who worked as presiding officers in Ido-Osi council.

When contacted for comments on why INEC was shielding the affected staff from police investigation, Kaigama claimed ignorance of the matter.

He said, “Who said that? I am not aware of the issue.”

Similarly, the Acting Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Umengar, responded in a similar manner, saying that “How will I know that there is anything like that?”