Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said only Electoral Act will be used to deal with electoral offenders.
The chairman of the electoral body revealed this while speaking to stakeholders at the National Election Collation Centre, located at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja.
Okay Nigeria had earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered security operatives to ruthlessly deal with people trying to sabotage or snatch ballot boxes during the upcoming elections.
“I’ve already ordered the police and the army to be ruthless. We will not be held responsible … for those who decide to steal ballot boxes, or use criminals to disrupt the polls”.
The president made this know during a meeting with APC members at the party secretariat in Abuja.
However, the INEC chairman responding to question on the president’s comment, Yakubu said that ballot box snatchers should be punished only in accordance with the electoral law.
“The position of the commission is that all violators of the Electoral Act should be punished according to the provisions of the Electoral Act,” he said.
