Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and the Acting Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Muhammed Adamu, has warned hoodlums who might want to disrupt Saturday’s Governorship, State Assembly and the Federal Capital Territory Area Council election, to stay away or risked jail.
The position was taken at the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, meeting with the Commission ahead of March 9th election, held at INEC’s headquarters, yesterday.
According to Prof. Yakubu, he said, “the Commission will no longer take lightly to INEC officials been intimidated, manhandled, or ballot boxes been snatched and carted away, as experienced in some polling units during the last Presidential and National Assembly election on February 23rd.
“Many of our materials like the Smart Card reader, SCR, Cubicles, ballot boxes were carted away by hoodlums due to hooliganisms, some of the supplementary election we are conducting with the governorship election, arose as a result of these their dastard act.”
The Chairman posited that, “INEC will not condone the intimidation and hijacking of our staff to be forced to declare result, any polling unit where such takes place, results will be cancelled,”
He further reiterated that collation of the governorship, state Assembly and the FCT Area Council elections will take place at the wards, Area Councils and the constituencies
The acting IGP Abubakar Muhammed Adamu, while appreciating the concerted efforts of other security agencies deployed for February 23rd, urged them not to relent in Saturday’s election, as security will be beefed up to forestall the occurrences of some hitches that happened during the last election.
He urged observes both domestic and foreign to feel free to observe the election, as adequate security will be provided for them alongside the media crew covering the election.
“He caution hoodlums and touts who might want to disrupt the process to either remain in-door or be ready to pay the price for their action. They will be met with stiff resistance and severe punishment will be meted out to them if they make attempts to disrupt the process,” he said.
National Security Adviser, Muhammed Babagana Munguno, who was represented by Sanusi Galadima, stated that the office of the NSA is opened 24 hours every day for suggestions and complaints for onward transmission to Mr. President.
According to him, security will be adequately beefed up at the polling units to ensure that pockets of resistance experienced in some polling units during the Presidential election does repeat not repeat itself.
“We have been receiving a lot issues for the easy conveyance to the President and efforts have been taken to deploy adequate security to all the 36 states and the FCT, to ensure peaceful conduct of the election.”
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