The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has dragged two officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the Federal High Court, Abuja on a five-count charge of electoral malpractices in the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections held in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo state.
In a press statement from the Chamber of the Attorney General of the Federation and minister of Justice by Comrade Salihu Othman Isah, special adviser to the AGF on Media and Publicity, and made available to newsmen yesterday in Abuja, the federal government slammed the charges against the defendants pursuant to Sections 104 and 379 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
Isah revealed the names of the culprits as Sulaiman Ikhuoriah, male, 36 years old of No.13 Aisosa Street, Off Okhoro Road, Benin City who served as Collation Officer for Ward 6 in Saint Maria Gorreti Secondary School, and Olugbenga Omotiloye, male, 50 years old of Plot 1, Longe Street, Okoh Central, Benin City, Edo State.They were accused to have falsified results in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate.
He disclosed that according to the charges filed by Magaji Labaran, a Principal State Counsel in the Department of Public Prosecution of the Federal Ministry of Justice, on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, they committed the offence in their capacity as electoral officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission on and around the 23rd day of February, 2019 during the Presidential and National Assembly polls in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state.
