Kogi Governor Bello In Double Voter Registration Scandal
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State[/caption]
There seem to be more trouble looming for governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State after the Independent National Electoral Commission accused him of registering permanent voter card twice.
The electoral body in a statement by its national commissioner and chairman voter education committee, Solomon Soyebi, on Thursday said the governor’s act was in violation of federal electoral law.
INEC however said they could not take action against the governor as he is constitutionally protected from prosecution while in office.
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Mr. Bello’s criminal behaviour came to light when photographs showed him being registered for by INEC officials in his office in Lokoja, his state capital. He had earlier been registered at Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, on January 30, 2011, Mr. Soyebi confirmed.
“The Governor’s double registration and doing so outside INEC’s designated centres are both illegal,” Mr Soyebi, said.
The commission denied authorising any staff or citizen to “re-register him or any citizen or to do so outside our designated CVR centres”.
He said the commission “is taking disciplinary action against the INEC staff involved”, but regretted the governor’s immunity would help him escape prosecution.
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“As for the State Governor, Section 308(1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) precludes INEC from prosecuting him while in office,” Mr. Soyebi said.
Nevertheless, his second and illegal registration now stands cancelled.
“However, INEC wishes to state that it has cancelled his second and illegal registration forthwith because our Electoral Law and the Commission’s guidelines make no exception for anyone to register more than once and outside the designated areas.”
The spokesperson for governor Bello, Kingsley Fanwo, said his principal had to register again in Kogi, because nothing had come of efforts to get INEC to transfer his voter’s card from Abuja to Kogi.
