The Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, Frank Mba, has warned candidates in the March 11 election especially those vying for the House of Assembly seats not to run afoul of the law, saying electoral offences are not statute-barred.
Mba warned that any candidate who wins an election but found culpable of the electoral offences would still be arrested and prosecuted after the election.
He cited an example of the ongoing trial of the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa who was remanded last week over alleged murder and arson in Kano State.
The CP spoke in Abeokuta, the state capital, during the Inter-agency Consultative Committee On Election Security (ICCES) interactive session with House of Assembly candidates and political parties’ chairmen, ahead of Saturday’s election.
Mba, who was flanked by Heads of other security agencies and the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Niyi Ijalaye, said lawmakers have no immunity that would stop them from arrest and prosecution.
“I like to remind politicians particularly those who are contesting for the House of Assembly that electoral offences are not statute-barred, they can never be statute-barred because they are criminal offences. Even if you commit them and you seemingly win an election and you are sworn in as a lawmaker, you have no immunity that will stop us from coming after you even while you are a sitting member of the House.
“The best thing for you is to obey the law, win fair, square and clean, and then enjoy your victory in a relaxed mode,” he said.
The CP also barred the state-owned security agencies like Amotekun corps and the So Safe corps from election monitoring.
Mba admitted that the state-owned outfits always assist in protection of life and property as well as enhancing community policing, “but they won’t monitor elections.”
