The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has kicked against President Muhammadu Buhari’s Choice of punishment for ballot box snatchers.
Mr Buhari at the All Progressive Congress (APC) National Caucus meeting on Monday preferred to punish ballot box snatchers by taking away the life of anyone who is caught.
The president vowed that during this year’s rescheduled general election, security agencies will gun down those whose intentions are to thwart the electoral will of the people through snatching of ballot box.
But disagreeing with the president’s choice of punishment, INEC on Tuesday said those caught in the act will face the wrath of the law which stipulates at most, a three year jail term for those found culpable.
The electoral body says those caught will be dealt with according to its act contained in the constitution.
“The position of the commission is that all violators of the Electoral Act should be punished according to the provisions of the Electoral Act,” Mahmood Yakubu, head of the electoral body said in on press briefing at the Abuja International Conference Centre, venue of the 2019 general elections collation centre.
Mr Yakubu also denied reports that Okechukwu Ibeanu, who heads the logistics department of the commission, was invited by the State Security Service (SSS).
“No commissioner of the commission was picked up by any security agency no house of any commissioner of INEC was raided; no any commissioner of INEC has been picked by the security agency.
“The particular commissioner you are referring to, whose name was mentioned on social media, is as we speak currently in his office in the commission. Similarly, no six directors were picked up by any security agency.
“All decisions on the administration of the commission are taken by the commission as an independent, constitutional body. We will continue to protect and jealously guard our independence.”
