President Muhammadu Buhari, has advocated for the investigation and punishment of future election offenders.

Buhari said the nullification of elections by electoral tribunals is not enough to deter politicians from shying away from electoral malpractices.

The President said on Monday, that a system is needed to be put in place by the judiciary to addresses these shortcomings.

President Buhari said this while inaugurating the new commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“Another area of concern is the justice administration of the electoral tribunals. It is long overdue that our justice system addresses these shortcomings. It is not just enough for an election to be cancelled and a new one ordered.

“It would be much better if all whose actions or inactions led to the cancellation of such election to be investigated and if culpable prosecuted whether they are individuals as candidates or party agents, institutions such as political party, electoral body, or public officers as electoral staff or security agents.

“Similarly, perpetrators of electoral violence and thuggery should not be spared. Unless our system stops covering up all forms of electoral malpractices we can hardly get it right. No system endures with impunity.”

“The APC government has promised Nigerians change. In electioneering this change should be all embracing. It starts from change of attitudes, change of work ethics, change in attitude to corruption and corrupt practices, change of party political conduct-right from primaries to the emergence of candidates and finally the conduct of elections.

“In the conduct of elections we promised to respect the independence of our electoral body, INEC. We promised non-interference in its activities and above all we promised to encourage them to conduct transparently free and fair elections. I hereby pledge to keep that promise.”