Less than Forty eight hours to the commencement of Nigeria’s crucial general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday appealed to prospective voters not to take photographic devices to polling booths on election day.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu who made the appeal at the first daily briefing on the election said it was meant to prevent vote transaction.
The Electoral umpire also stated that “the ban on the use of mobile phones and photographic devices at the voting cubicles, is still in place. Some voters have used these devices in previous elections to snap their marked ballot papers for vote transaction. However, citizens are permitted to come to the Polling Units with these devices, as long as they do not take them to the voting cubicles. Our arrangement of placing the ballot box near the voting cubicle and away from party agents remains”, he said.
Asked whether the Commission would physically prevent voters from using the photographic device, he said: “We’ll be very busy on that day to police people who carry cell phones to the polling booth.
“we have worked closely with enforcement agencies to ensure that vote buying is eliminated from our electoral process. We are convinced that our joint operations before and on election day will vastly reduce the prospect of voter inducement, which is not only illegal but immoral. The ban on the use of mobile phones and photographic devices at the voting cubicles, is still in place.”
