The Independent National Electoral
Commission(INEC) has said none of its officials, who are undergoing
investigations for alleged bribery, will be assigned any electoral duty.

The Punch reported that the officials, whose names were
on the list sent to it the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
would be barred from electoral duty until they cleared themselves of the
bribery allegations against them.

It was gathered that the EFCC sent a
letter to INEC and demanded the release of over 100 officers for
interrogation for alleged bribery during the 2015 general elections.

The Chairman of the commission, Prof.
Mahmood Yakubu, had earlier confirmed the number of the suspects, saying
at the end of the investigations, those found guilty would be fired by
the commission.

Some states’ Resident Electoral Commissioners were allegedly bribed before, during and after the 2015 polls.

Many electoral officers and others were also said to have been involved in the alleged bribery scandal.

The bribe cash was said to have been
disbursed a bank from the N23bn deposited in the bank the former
Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

The Chief Press Secretary to the
Chairman of INEC, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, who spoke with our correspondent
in Abuja on Monday, said none of those under investigation would be used
in the November 26 governorship election in Ondo State.

He added that until the concerned officers were cleared the EFCC, they would not be used for any electoral duty.

Oyekanmi stated, “We have made it clear
to them that none of those whose names appeared on the list sent the
EFCC would be involved in any electoral duty.

“Using them will send a wrong signal to the people about our integrity and all that.

“Though these people have yet to be
indicted and they remain innocent until proved guilty, we have to
safeguard the integrity of the commission as well.

“That is why we have placed embargo on
them concerning electoral duties. There are other jobs they could do at
the commission, but not electoral duty.”

He said the commission was poised to conduct a free, fair and credible election in Ondo State.

A former REC in Rivers State, Mrs.
Gesila Khan, and other top INEC officials in the South-South
geopolitical zone were alleged to have received N675.1m from the poll
bribe cash.

Reliable sources at the EFCC had alleged
that Khan, who was later redeployed as the REC in Cross River State,
allegedly received N185.8m ahead of the March 28 and April 11, 2015
elections.

The commission also arrested one Oluchi
Obi Brown, who, as the INEC administrative secretary in Delta State,
allegedly received over N111m.

Further investigations detectives revealed that Brown had about $75,000 in an account in the United States.

The anti-graft agency also arrested one
Edem Effanga, who is a retired INEC official. Effanga was arrested
alongside his alleged accomplice, Immaculata Asuquo, who was the Head,
Voter Education of INEC in Akwa Ibom State.

Effanga was alleged to have received over N240m, which he shared among INEC ad hoc workers during the elections.

Source: The punch