Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba
The Nigeria Police Force on Monday made a
U-turn on its earlier warning to voters to stay away from polling
centres after exercising their civic duty on days of elections.
The Inspector-General of Police,
Suleiman Abba, had on Thursday said there was no need for voters to
stay back after casting their votes because two or three policemen
would be stationed at every polling unit to guard their votes.
“Cast your votes and go and cool
down. If you remain there, there is a likelihood that you will commit an
offence,’’ he had said.
But the Chairman, Independent National
Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, the All Progressives Congress, the
Peoples Democratic Party and others faulted the warning, saying there
was no aspect of the electoral law that prohibited voters from stay
behind to monitor ballot counting.
“As many of the voters may wish to remain to see the actual counting of the votes after voting has ended,” Jega had stated.
However, the Force Public Relations
Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, in a telephone interview with one of our
correspondents, said that people could stay behind as long as they
maintained the peace, and obeyed the electoral guidelines.
“Anybody who commits any offence against
the Electoral Act would be dealt with in line with the law. Voters are
free to stay behind if they chose to,” Ojukwu stated.
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