Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has reacted to a statement credited to President Muhammadu Buhari on death threat to ballot box snatchers ahead of the presidential election.
President Buhari had on Monday given the Military and other security agencies to charge to deal with ballot box snatchers.
But, Mahmood reacting, expressed the belief that ballot box snatchers should only be punished in accordance with the electoral law.
The INEC Chairman, addressing the media on the preparedness for the postponed polls in Abuja said: “The position of the commission is that all violators of the Electoral Act should be punished according to the provisions of the Electoral Act.”
Yakubu also refuted reports that Okechukwu Ibeanu, the National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in charge of logistics, was invited by the Department of State Services (DSS).
“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,” he added.
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