The electoral offences to attract similar punishments, according to the commission, include campaign finance breaches and breach of political party finance provisions.
INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, who presented the commission’s position during the committee’s one-day retreat on Electoral Act 2010, equally wants the President and other persons to be barred from interfering in INEC’s operational functions.
Jega also canvassed for Diaspora voting, regretting that presently, only Nigerian citizens residing in the country at the time of registration of voters can vote at any election.
He said Nigerian citizens “who are of age, but resident abroad, should be allowed to participate in the governance of their country by being allowed to register and vote at elections.”