Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has taken a different position contrary to that of President Muhammadu Buhari on the handling of ballot box snatchers.
Buhari had on Monday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus meeting in Abuja said he had directed the military and police to be ruthless towards anyone caught snatching ballot box.
“I am going to warn anybody who thinks he has enough influence in his locality to lead a body of thugs, snatch ballot boxes or to disturb the voting system, he will do it at the expense of his own life,” Buhari said.
However, Prof. Yakubu, at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, said the commission would stand by the Electoral Act which “states that persons who snatch election materials are liable to a prison term of two years or
He added: “The position of the commission is that all violators of the Electoral Act should be punished according to the provisions of the Electoral Act.”
