Human Rights Commission Threatens to Drag Electoral Offenders Before ICC

The International Human Rights Commission, on Thursday, warned politicians that things would not continue as usual in 2023 and they should rethink engaging in electoral fraud and backdoor power grabs.

The organisation, therefore, threatened to bring charges against anyone who harmed Nigerian democracy before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.

The IHRC’s Ambassador-at-Large and Head of its Diplomatic Missions in Nigeria, Dr Duru Hezekiah, made these remarks during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Peace and Rights of Nigerians during elections in Abuja.

According to him, the era of irregularities and vote suppression is over, as the 2023 election should be about a peaceful transfer of power.

“I know that with this understanding, we are going to make Nigeria a better place. We want to see that what is happening in developed countries regarding elections is applicable here too. The era of many shoddy things has come to an end,” he said.

The Head of IHRC (African Diplomatic Missions), Dr Friday Sanni, said the commission’s Secretary-General is an arbitration judge at the ICC, which makes it easy for the organisation to present issues of gross violations of human rights of Nigerians to the International Criminal Court.

Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, on Thursday, met with Commissioners of Police and other top police officers in Abuja to discuss issues bordering on the 2023 general elections.

The IG noted that the main purpose of the conference was to review the evolving political programmes as laid out by the Independent National Electoral Commission and chart pathways to ensure a smooth electoral process in the countdown to the 2023 general elections.

“As you are aware, in compliance with Sec. 94(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC has confirmed that electioneering campaigns by all political parties will officially commence on September 28, 2022,” the IG said.