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Falana reacts to Ibrahim Mantu’s election rigging confession

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2 years ago

July 3, 2022

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Human rights activist and Lagos-based lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has reacted to the statement made by former Senate President, Senator Ibrahim Mantu that he rigged elections in the past.

Falana speaking to Punch said the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government would not take any action against Mantu “because the country is being run on the basis of official impunity.”

Mantu had admitted that he helped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rig elections in the past.

Falana said Mantu’s statement would be treated with leniency just like other issues.

He said, “It should be treated the way all confessional statements are treated. But I think he made a general statement, he hasn’t identified which election was rigged.

“A former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke, had actually given a more vivid account of how elections are manipulated in Nigeria. Furthermore, the National Human Rights Commission had also done a compilation of those who participated actively in the rigging of the 2011 elections and the government hasn’t done anything about it.

“I don’t think the Buhari regime will really follow-up on this revelation because we operate in an atmosphere of impunity. The country is run on the basis of official impunity.

“But clearly, there is no statute of limitation with respect to serious criminal offences, but I am so convinced that this will not be followed up.”