Umar Muhammed, Lafia

The Independent National Electoral Commission has handed over one of its workers in Nasarawa State to the State Security Services for interrogation over alleged sale of Continuous Voter Registration forms.

The INEC Administrative Secretary in Nasarawa State, Mr. Opaleke Otolorin, revealed this in a statement on Wednesday in Lafia and made available to The PUNCH.

Otolorin said the action followed a social media report indicating that one of its workers in Karu Local Government Area of the state was issuing the CVR forms to members of the public for a fee.

The statement added that the case was promptly reported to the SSS for investigation, adding that the suspect was thereafter taken into custody for interrogation.

He said the suspect had already made useful statements to the SSS, as investigation is ongoing in the matter to ascertain his level of involvement and eventual prosecution if necessary.

He admonished members of the public to refrain from offering fees, gratification or inducement to INEC staff engaged in the registration exercise.

Mr. Otolorin revealed that inducement of INEC officials contravenes the electoral laws, the CVR guidelines,and the Commission’s ethics.