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 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 Punch’s
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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