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Tuesday 24 March 2015

Police Recants, Says Voters Can Wait and Protect Votes


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.
Image: The Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba
Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, in a telephone interview with Punch 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.
The Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, had warned voters against hanging around polling areas after casting their votes on Election Day.
Abba stated this while addressing accredited observers for the general election in Abuja.
The IG said, ‘‘Two to three police officers will be attached to each polling unit, and we would provide more officers for the collation centres and for the managers of the elections.
“We will go on to protect the electorate. Every eligible voter should feel safe enough to cast his votes. We will be there to protect the votes and make sure no one disrupts the process.
“Cast your votes and go and cool down. If you remain there, there is likelihood that you will commit an offence.”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has told Nigerian voters to ignore the unlawful order by the Inspector-General of Police urging them to go home after casting their ballot on Election Day.
Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, has also faulted the warning, saying there was no aspect of the electoral law that prohibited voters from stay behind to monitor ballot counting

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