Nigeria decides – INEC Boss, Police IG to underaged voters, ballot box snatchers: Steer clear of polling centres

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Mahmood Yakubu has  reiterated that underaged voting remains an illegality in the country urging members of the public to report any suspected incidence to officials of the commission or any of the security agencies. 

Yakubu who was speaking at the media and observer briefing on Friday in Abuja warned that any underaged caught trying to be accredited for voting today would be arrested. 
He stated that the age requirement for voting was 18 years saying that there is no underaged voting in all the elections he conducted.

He said: “Underage voting is an illegality because there is a statutory age for registration of voters but what you should do as a voter if on election day, you find anyone that is apparently overage or conclusively so, kindly report this to any official of the commission or security agencies. 

“Working with the IGP, I say any underage person caught trying to be accredited for voting on election day will be arrested. 
“Voting is only open to Nigerian citizen who are of the statutory  age of 18. It is an illegality and let me seize this opportunity to warn those who sponsor underage person to vote on the election day that they will be arrested. 
“And the good thing is that in the numerous elections that this commission has undertaken, we have never had any incident of underage voting.”

Also the Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu who reassured of maximum security to INEC officials, observer groups and those who were on election duties  warned those intending to disrupt the process to desist from doing so.

According to Mr Adamu, anybody caught in the course of disrupting the process would be apprehended by the police in conjunction with the officials of INEC.

He said an investigative team headed by Commissioner of Police in charge of legal would be set up to investigate and prosecute them.

The IGP also warned intending ballot box snatchers, thugs and vote buyers to desist or else get arrested and prosecuted.

Adamu urged both domestic and foreign observers to hang their accreditation tags or risk arrest for failure to do so urging observers to identify and report infiltrators who claim to be observers. 

“Voting proper is taking place tomorrow (Saturday). I have explained severally to Nigerians that the security of the electorate, the observers, INEC staff electoral materials are all secured. Maximum security is provided before, during and after the election.

“In the polling boot or polling unit, there will be at least three security personnel will be there to protect the electorate, INEC and electoral material. The personnel there will not be armed and there will be no need for apprehension while the election is going on. 
“We have some group of people who might want to disrupt the  election we have put in place strategy to stop that.

“We have tactical unit of our personnel and other services that will be patrolling everywhere to ensure that the process is not disrupted. And the patrolling personnel will be armed and will deal with anybody who wants to disrupt the process in the course of the election, if any electoral offence is committed, we will work with the INEC officials to apprehend the culprit and set up investigative team headed by Commissioner of Police in charge of legal to investigate the cases and prosecute them.

“Be it vote buying, ballot box snatching, be it thuggery. If you commit that, you will be arrested and prosecuted. After the voting, movement of electoral materials to the collation centre will be protected. Armed security personnel will be posted to the ward collation centres.

“Even when the results are announced, those people are planning to disrupt, we have put strategies in place to prevent that. So what we require from all Nigerians is to go out peacefully, cast your vote and wait for the announcement of the results.

“You have no business on the election day if you are not an accredited official. Please don’t come out. All the accredited officials whether domestic or foreign observers must carry their tags. You can move freely and be protected.
“If you identify anybody that wants to infiltrate you and claim to be an observer for a group, we will appreciate you exposing such a person for us to remove him or her from your group.”

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