The electoral offenders, apprehended in 35 states across the country, saw Ebonyi State topping the list with 64 cases involving 216 suspects.

In a noteworthy collaboration between INEC and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the President of the NBA, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), pledged legal services pro bono for the prosecution of these offenders during a recent visit to the commission. The Nigeria Police is also actively participating in this unique synergy.

Fulfilling the commitment, Maikyau, in a recent letter to INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, listed 191 lawyers, including 16 SANs, who have agreed to handle cases in various states without charge, assisted by the Police and INEC for effective prosecution.

Sources in Abuja disclosed on Wednesday that the suspects associated with the case files are currently in custody, having undergone investigations, and evidence against them has been gathered.

Upon contact, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi, confirmed the preparation of letters of authority, which will be issued to the NBA team promptly to initiate proceedings on all the cases.

However, Oyekanmi mentioned that the NBA returned 26 case files to the commission for onward transmission to the police as the offenses involved did not fall under electoral offenses as defined by the Electoral Act 2022.

The breakdown by state indicates that Ebonyi leads with 64 cases (216 suspects), Edo follows with 22 cases (80 suspects), and Anambra is third with 12 cases (66 suspects).

Other states with varying cases and suspects include Kaduna, Adamawa, Kano, Rivers, Osun, and Yobe, with offenses ranging from culpable homicide to unlawful possession of firearms, snatching and destruction of INEC items, weapon possession, misconduct at polling units, and theft of election results.