SENATE PASS CAMPAIGN BILL ON HATE SPEECH AS OFFENDERS RISK 10 YEARS IMPRISONMENT
The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill seeking to establish the Electoral Offences Commission.
The red panel prescribed among others, at least 10 years imprisonment or at least N20m fine or both against any person who uses hate speech to stir up ethnic, religious or racial hatred, social or political insecurity, or violence against anyone or group of persons during electioneering.
These provisions are contained in the bill which seeks to establish the “Electoral Offenses Commission and for other related matters 2021”.
“Any person who uses hate speech to stir up ethnic, religious or racial hatred, social or political, insecurity or violence, against anyone or group or person”, is liable to 10 years in jail or N20 million fine or both, the bill proposed.
It also prescribed a 20-year jail term or an N40m fine against any candidate or agent who damaged or snatched
ballot boxes, ballot papers, or election materials before, during, and after an election
without the permission of the election official in charge of the polling station.
The Senate also approved at least 15 years imprisonment for any person who influenced voters.
It also prescribed three years’ imprisonment for any employee who directly or indirectly exerts undue influence on a voter in his employment.
The Senate also okayed a term of at least 10 years upon conviction for any elected official who “willfully prevents any person from voting at the polling station, wilfully rejects or refuses to count any ballot paper validly cast, willfully counts any ballot paper not validly cast, gives false evidence or withholds evidence, and announces or declares a false result at an election.
The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano South), in his presentation, said the bill became imperative in view of Independent National Electoral Commission’s inability to prosecute electoral offenders in accordance with the provisions of sections 149 and 150(2) of the Electoral Act (as Amended).
He said, “It is unrealistic to expect INEC to conduct free, fair and credible election and simultaneously prosecute offenses arising from the same elections.”
The Senate during consideration of the INEC Committee report
approved the establishment of the National Electoral Offences Commission.
