Electoral Offences and Their Penalties
Act · Governance
Policy date: 2022-01-01
An Act that defines electoral offences such as vote buying, ballot snatching, and voter intimidation. It targets voters, political parties, candidates, election officials, and law enforcement by prescribing penalties like fines and imprisonment. This deters fraud and ensures fair elections.
Electoral Offences and Their Penalties
What Is This Policy?
A compilation of offences defined under the Electoral Act that criminalizes conduct such as vote buying, ballot snatching, voter intimidation, result falsification, and other forms of electoral fraud, along with their prescribed penalties.
Who Does It Target?
Voters and citizens Political parties, candidates, and their agents Election officials and security personnel Law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies
What Does It Aim to Achieve?
Deter electoral fraud and violence by clearly defining prohibited conduct and prescribing meaningful penalties including fines and imprisonment.
Key Features
Vote Buying: Offence of offering or receiving money or gifts in exchange for votes Ballot Box Snatching: Criminal seizure or destruction of ballot materials Voter Intimidation: Threatening or coercing voters to influence their choice Result Manipulation: Falsification of election results by officials or agents Multiple Registration: Registering or attempting to register as a voter more than once
Current Status
Rollout Stage: Active under the Electoral Act 2022 Coverage: All elections in Nigeria Lead Agency: INEC (identification and reporting), Nigeria Police (enforcement), courts (prosecution) Proposed Reform: An Electoral Offences Commission has been proposed to handle prosecution exclusively
How to Access
Citizens should be aware of these offences and report violations. Report electoral offences to INEC or the Nigeria Police Electoral tribunals and courts handle prosecution of offenders
Official Resources
Website: inecnigeria.org Contact: INEC, Abuja
Legal Framework
Electoral offences derive their legal basis from the Electoral Act 2022, the Criminal Code Act, the Penal Code (Northern States) Federal Provisions Act, and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (Sections 77–79 on elections). The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Election Offences Tribunal provisions and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 govern prosecution procedures. The ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance provides the regional accountability framework.