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Tag: 2019 polls

  • ‘Zamfara should learn from 2019 polls’

    Former Zamfara State Governor Ahmed Sani Yerima served in the Senate between 2007 and 2019. In this interview with TONY AKOWE, he speaks on why he introduced the Sharia law in the Northwest state, the electoral misfortune of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the last general elections and how to prevent a re-occurrence of the protracted crisis.

    How do you feel that the state where you once governed on the platform of the APC has been taken over by the PDP and what would you attribute to the loss?

    As a politician, I will not be happy because it is a sad thing. As a politician, we believe that God has power over all things. I believe it is an act of God and that what happened has to happen. Everybody has to play his role to come to what we are seeing today. The major cause is the breaches of rules. As you know, we had meetings within the party and the President, the Vice President and the National Chairman were all there and we agreed that the primaries would be direct, indirect or through consensus. The party felt that they were not comfortable with the arrangement in Zamfara. A committee was set up in Zamfara, just like every other state, but the committee came back without conducting any primary. As a result, another panel was set up. Everybody knows what happened after that. I tried my best to help resolve the situation, but, as you know, the governor was my product. God gave him that position and I led the struggle to bring him to that position. We had problems with my former successor who was my deputy for eight years and we decided that there will be no more problems again. People did not know what really happened between us. The cause of our quarrel was the fact that after endorsing him, we endorsed Yari as his running mate. We campaigned together until seven days to election. After collecting his INEC form, he came to me at night and said he wanted me to replace Yari and I told him it was not possible. That was the cause of all the problems. At the end, Yari met me arguing with him and his people, because at that time, he had already established his own empire as the incoming governor and Yari said he will never be deputy. He said if I impose him as his deputy, after the election, he will use the state assembly to remove him. So, a decision was reached to replace Yari and allow him to go to House of Representatives. From then onwards, I said I will never come out openly to speak on anything Yari is doing. I will meet him in his room, advice him and if he takes the advice and do well, I will be happy. So, I did my best as the father figure within the APC in Zamfara State, by not openly criticizing Yari or any other party chieftain in the media. What happened had to happen. I tried to mediate by liaising with the governor, the state chapter, other chieftains and the national chairman. Eventually, we landed ourselves in the position we found ourselves. However, the same person that is governor today was my commissioner for eight years. He came to the House of Representatives when I came to the Senate on the platform of the ANPP. That is why people were surprised when I went to congratulate him. I believe that party politics should end as soon as elections are over and the winner is declared. As an elder in the state, I had to go and congratulate him and wish him well. I will continue to advise him, so that Zamfara will continue to have peace and prosperity.

    Is there any possibility that the APC will reclaim the state in the next four years?

    Let me tell you one thing. Since 1998/99, when the current dispensation started, we have never lost election in Zamfara State. The APP, which later transformed into the ANPP, was one of the three major parties that merged to form the APC. In 1998/1999, I became governor and was re-elected in 2003 and when I was leaving in 2007, we elected my former deputy. But, he later defected to the PDP and that was the only time they ruled the state. But in 2011, we defeated him. The present governor became governor following the Supreme Court ruling. We will never, by the grace of God, loss election in Zamfara again.

    But, what is on ground does not suggest that the APC will have an easy ride in 2023, especially with the division within the fold. As a leader, what are you doing to bring the warring parties together?

    It is all part of politics. From the beginning, when it all started, all these factions believed I will be able to solve the problem. I tried to do that initially, but it didn’t work. As I speak with you, every so-called faction knows its position. But, we are going to wait for the intervention of the national secretariat. What is likely going to happen is restructuring of the party. We have to look at the structure again and make sure that we bring them together, by using the party machinery to harmonise the groups and come up with a solid structure.

    What gives you the impression that the APC will reclaim the state in 2023?

    Let me cast your mind back to 1998/99. That time, when the APP, the PDP and the AD contested the local government election in Zamfara, my party, the APP, won seven out of the 14 local governments, including the state capital. One of the candidates who lost in the chairmanship contest was the current governor. He contested the chairmanship of his local government under my party and lost. I appointed him Commissioner for Local Government to supervise the person that defeated him. That is what is bringing us together. What you see him doing now is not only his work. He was my commissioner for eight years before coming to the House of Representative when I came to the Senate. It is a combination of advises that he is listening to, and it is all of us working and not him alone. In view of that, you will now know whether it will be easy or difficult for us in Zamfara. Don’t be surprised if he moves to the APC.

    Are you worried that the once peaceful Zamfara state is now a theatre of banditry?

    I am very worried. When I was governor, I did everything I could to the extent that the then IGP under the Obasanjo government wrote a report that Zamfara is virtually crime free. The records are there. They even put our crime rate at two per cent, even though I don’t know the criteria they used to arrive at that. But what happened after me started with cattle rustling during the tenure of the governor who took over from me. So, it did not start now. From cattle rustling, kidnapping started and what I can call semi insurgency started. Today, armed bandits will just enter a village and start killing people in form of revenge. What happened is that the former governor formed what he called vigilante group and this group started attacking the Fulanis who they believed were the cattle rustlers. It got to a level that a Fulani man will come to the market and they will kill him. From that time, the Fulanis started carrying arms in place of their normal stick to defend themselves. Everyone had believed that it is something that can only be resolved through military action. But, the current administration has started talking to them and they have started responding. Recently, the bandits released a good number of people, some of whom are from Sokoto State. Criminality can start small and gradually enlarge. So, it is not a question of military action alone to address it. This method of talking to them to lay down their arms is working. They know these people and they know the terrain. We should adopt a two-pronged approach to resolve the crisis: negotiation, as well as the military action. So, the carrot and stick approach may be what we should adopt.

    Traditional rulers have been accused of backing some bandits. How true is this allegation? Why will they get themselves in such thing?

    Two things: one is the level of poverty in the society. People have forgotten that during the era of former President Jonathan, the economy was virtually on its knees, because of the level of corruption. By the time this administration came in, the task before it was not just fighting corruption, but reviving the economy and tackling the security challenges. Boko Haram was already in Abuja and something had to be done. A lot of resources were required to fight the insurgency and the fight against corruption was also not easy. So, by the grace of God, the harvest the following year was good and the economy started changing. That level of poverty that was inherited has started making some people think the other way, including the traditional rulers. The second issue is fear for their lives. Because of the little money they are getting from the bandits, they either try to give them information or hide them or do things that will support them. If you remember, one of the things that happened was the kidnapping of an emir in Zamfara. He was taken away for a long time until ransom was paid before he was released. So, some of the emirs became afraid of the bandits. The Yari administration had to suspend one emir for his alleged role in supporting the bandits. Every traditional ruler now knows that he either supports the government in its bid to address this issue or lose his position. So, I think these two factors — poverty and fear of the bandits — made some of the traditional rulers to back some of the bandits. But now, things are changing.

    You are the first governor to introduce the Sharia legal system in the country. Do you have any regret about it?

    You see, people don’t even know what Sharia is all about. At the time I said I was going to launch Sharia, there was so much outcry. I would have done my project quietly, because the state was 99.9 per cent Muslims and their agitation for Sharia did not start with me. That area comprising Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara were in the fore front of the struggle for the reintroduction of Sharia, because there has been sharia in Nigeria since the beginning of Islam. People thought that sharia is all about when you cut hand or flog people. Sharia has two components. It has the capital punishment which is called hudud and done through adjudication by the courts and what you call ma’amala which has to do with relationship. It regulates the activities of human beings. If you go to Zamfara today or any other state that adopted sharia after we started it in 1999, you will not find prostitution going on right now. You will not find a house or hall publicly where gambling is taking place and you cannot find people consuming alcohol openly. You can only find alcohol in the military barracks or police barracks. They were all successfully banned and the attitude of people has changed. Our girls use to come out with their body open. But, because sharia prohibit that, we introduced a new form of dressing which is called hijab approved by sharia under Islam and today, the entire northern Nigeria, you go to their primary schools, secondary schools and the universities, it is the norm now. If you recall, one lady went to the law school and refused to remove her hijab and it became a national controversy and at the end, she won because she has certain rights under the constitution. Sharia is about attitudinal change which has been achieved and will remain with us for a long time. The society is changing and in all religion, you see some extremists and fundamentalist as well as the moderates. I don’t believe in extremism. We are operating a constitutional system and by the time I came as governor, I understand the fact that I was elected under the constitution and it is the same constitution that I used to enact all the laws I enacted. That is why nobody could challenge it till today. All the laws are being implemented. If you have governors who have the political will to make sure that laws are implemented, you will not have problems, because the laws are already there. You have some governors who are serious and some that are not serious and this is how it is going to continue. It depends on the person on the seat, but the attitudinal change that has been achieved will be there for a long time. You can’t go to my village or any village in Zamfara and say you want to establish a brothel. The people will never allow it. Before I became governor, there were more than 500 brothels in the state capital alone, but today, there is none. Not only in Zamfara. Go to the entire 12 northern states that established sharia and say you want to have a prostitute. My son is 21 years old now and does not know what a prostitute is. He has never seen it. From 1999 till date, there have never been brothels, but that does not mean that people are not misbehaving. If you go to church or mosque or any worship place, they will tell you that God has power over all things. So, if God has power over all things, as a human being, you just need to do your best and leave Him to handle the rest.

  • 2019 polls: Violence, major challenge in Anambra- INEC

    Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, Anambra Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said that violence was the major challenge in the conduct of 2019 general elections in the state.

    Orji made the disclosure during the INEC review meeting of the 2019 General Elections held on Thursday in Awka.

    The REC said the commission recorded violence in Orumba North, Anambra East, Idemili North and Ogbaru Areas of the state which constituted a hindrance.

    Orji also said that INEC faced logistics challenges in the state during the polls and suffered a major setback following the fire incident recorded a few days to the commencement of the elections that affected its materials.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that two container-loads of card reader machines got burnt a few days to 2019 elections in Awka head office of INEC.

    The INEC official said the review meeting which was done every four years after the general elections would afford the commission the opportunity to harvest individual experiences.

    “The 85 participants attending the event are people who participated in the conduct of the 2019 elections and it is expected that they present their personal experiences with a view to improving on future exercise,” he said.

    Orji appealed to participants to come up with ideas that would improve in the conduct of future elections in not only Anambra, but the country at large.

    Read Also; PDP, Atiku seek tribunal’s permission to inspect INEC’s server

    Dr Alex Agbaenyi a lecturer in the Political science Department of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka commended INEC for the exercise.

    He said the meeting would enable the INEC come up with solutions to such challenges like thuggery and bad electoral conducts by party agents which adversely affected the 2019 exercise.

    NAN reports that the meeting was attended by all INEC heads of departments in Anambra, the 21 local government electoral officers, assistant electoral officers, registration area officers and some INEC officials from Abuja national headquarters among others.

  • Buhari hails monarchs over role in 2019 polls

    President Muhammadu Buhari has praised traditional rulers for their role during and after this year’s general elections.

    He attributed the relative peace in the country to the role of the monarchs played in the electoral process.

    The President spoke in Owerri, the Imo State capital, at the post-election peace summit organised by the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria.

    He noted that the responsibility of ensuring peace rests more on the shoulders of the traditional rulers “because they are closer to the people than the government”.

    President Buhari, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said: “My royal highnesses and traditional rulers, the Presidency has saddled my office with the very responsibility of overseeing the post-election peace conference/summit in the six geo-political zones of our dear country.

    “But the most sterling issue about the whole matter is establishing peace, how to bring peace to Sokoto, to Adamawa and others. But we all understand that this responsibility rests rather more squarely on the shoulders of our traditional rulers who are closer to the people than the government.”

    He added: “This is why my office attends to everything pertaining to this matter with utter dispatch. Also, the team spirit with which you have carried out your functions has not gone unnoticed. It was also noted that your effort in improving the economy through agricultural schemes in the last four years is also worth mentioning.

    “I am reassuring you that my office will continue to work in collaboration with the National Council of Traditional Rulers in all their developmental strides. Again, the Presidency has not taken for granted all your efforts towards the management of insurgency in the Northeast.”

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha noted that “the problem with our country is that we don’t understand the people called the Igbo”.

    He added: “The Igbo, if I must describe us, are the most misrepresented ethnic group in Nigeria. It’s only the Igbo amongst all other ethnic groups that can go to any other cultures and settle to develop that culture.

    “The Igbo man is the one who will hardly come back home to his grassroots without leaving a lasting impression of good development in the place he is living. But Nigerians have taken this for weakness. And that’s why at every side, they’re chased from pillar to post as if they’re not part of the entity called Nigeria.”

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saidi Abubakar III, thanked Okorocha for hosting the conference.

    He said: “…The unity of Nigeria is of paramount interest to all of us. Therefore, this is another reason why we are here.”

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, said: “My fellow traditional rulers from across the various ethnic groups of Nigeria, I want us to bear in mind that the reason for this conference is the peace of this country. We cannot afford to be seated on our various thrones and see the people we are ruling scattered. So, the peace of Nigeria must cost us something worth sacrificing. All of us seated here have a duty to let our subjects know that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.”

    The host and Chairman Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Samuel Ohiri, said: “Our joy knows no bounds today to see our brother traditional rulers come to have this national summit in Imo, our dear state. Again, we return all the glory to God Almighty and to Governor Okorocha whose singular effort has brought about today’s development.”

     

  • Court dismisses suit challenging Adamawa gov’ship election

    The Adamawa State High Court sitting in Yola has dismissed a suit asking it to nullify the governorship election in the state.

    The case failed because the plaintiff tendered documents not properly certified and because he failed to prove his case by not tendering a document that was vital for the determination of the case, the trial judge, Justice Abdulaziz Waziri, ruled Friday morning.

    The candidate of the Movement for the Restoration and Defence of Democracy (MRDD), Rev Eric Theman, represented by his counsel, Bar Mustapha Ibrahim, had gone before the court to allege that he was deprived the right to be voted for in the March 9 election because the logo of his party was not on the ballot paper even after he had been recognised as a gubernatorial candidate.

    But the judge said the plaintiff failed to tender the ballot paper indicating that the logo of his party was omitted from it.

    “The fundamental document that would have proved the point was never brought before this court. The burden of proof lies on the plaintiff. This burden was not properly discharged,” he said, stressing that the reliefs sought by the plaintiff had therefore failed.

    Justice Waziri advised him or any other party wishing to appeal the judgement to do so within 90 days at the Yola Division of the Court of Appeal.

    The judgment of the court came Friday morning, hours after the state supplementary gubernatorial election was concluded and Rt Hon Umaru Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) declared winner, having scored the highest votes in both the March 9 main election and the Thursday return

  • 2019 polls: Acknowledging the conscientious voter

    WHILE the Southwest was promising to grapple with the numbing issue of voter apathy in their region, President Muhammadu Buhari was at the other end of the pole busy acknowledging the conscientious voter who took his political admonitions to heart. It is not clear how the Southwest would deal with the problem of apathy, which they noticed in the 2019 elections, but at least they know that voting is not a compulsory civic duty. Going by the example some Southwest leaders gave about Lagos turning out less than a million of its more than five million registered voters to elect their governor, and a little over a million to elect their president, those who campaign for higher voter turnout will have to devise ingenious methods to bring about a revolution in voting culture in the future. The task will, however, not be easy.

    But by far more significant in the 2019 elections is the president’s view that voters actually cast their ballots according to their conscience. He voiced this impression to the Katsina State governor, Aminu Masari, when the latter visited him, according to some news reports, to formally intimate him with his election victory. Was the president ignorant of the governor’s victory? Receiving the governor, the president had said: “I have maintained a position that elections must be free and fair and people have the right to make their choices and vote their consciences. I am happy they understood the message and did just that. Power is a public trust that belongs to the people. Power is not by strength or wisdom but by providence. Elected persons must be fair and just. This is the legacy I want to leave behind. A leader must be fair and just. All leaders should strive to do that.”

    The president may still be anxious to justify his noncommittal approach to the desperate campaigns of his party’s candidates in the states where the APC was divided. In reality, however, as he must have heard during his many campaign stops, nothing justified his stand. In Imo State, where he admonished voters and party faithful to vote their conscience because he was unwilling to offend his loyal friend, Governor Rochas Okorocha, his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), lost the governorship election to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). And in Ogun State, the other state where the president also asked his party members to follow their conscience, the APC won by the skin of their teeth. Had the opposition united against the APC in Ogun, the president’s party would have lost the governorship.

    Nothing, not even politics and the fear of losing the presidential election, should have stopped the president from campaigning for APC candidates everywhere. In fact, if he had taken a stand for his party, as his party stood by him through thick and thin, he would have been lauded for that principled stand, whether his party won or lost. What the president was espousing was not conscientious voting, as logical as that might seem, but opportunism. It is also clear that the electorate simply voted for the candidate of their choice, irrespective of the president’s admonition, and going by the dynamics at play in those states. There is evidence to show that voters have become more mature in all the 29 states where governorship elections held, indicating that local dynamics were at play in almost perfect defiance of the president’s electoral casuistry. Without President Buhari on a hypothetical tomorrow, voters would heed their local dynamics to vote their choice, whether that choice agreed with their conscience or not.

    There is very little anyone can do now to dissuade governors like Mallam Masari from ingratiating themselves with a patrician president. It is a cultural thing in Nigeria. But before the next one or two election cycles, as more knowledgeable and bold candidates are elected into legislative and executive positions, the patrician proclivity that has hobbled Nigerian politics and disgraced the image of the country for decades will very likely abate or be eradicated altogether. Governors will consequently not feel the subservient bondage to go to the airport to receive a president who is not on a state visit; elected leaders will respect the rule of law knowing full well that their re-election could hinge on their behaviour and record; the security services will not need to be ordered by any elected leader in order to do their job; and law enforcement will be applied, in like measure, constitutionally to the ordinary citizen as well as the elected leader. That day may already be upon the people.

  • Okorocha missing as senators-elect receive certificates of return

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has made good it’s word by not recognizing the election of Rochas Okorocha into the Senate.

    Imo state governor’s name was missing among the Senate-elect who received their certificate of returns at the International Conference Centre Thursday.

    Okorocha was said to have won one of the senatorial seats in Imo state.

    Consequently, INEC placed an embargo on his victory at the poll.

    Details shortly…..

  • Don’t let politicians turn elections to war, Dickson urges new police boss

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has appealed to the Nigeria Police to check the excesses of criminally-minded politicians during the Governorship and House of Assembly elections.

    Dickson spoke on Friday when the 11th Commissioner of Police posted to the state in four months, Mr. Olushola David, led a team of officers to pay him a courtesy call in Government House, Yenagoa.

    He asked David to assert himself as the chief law enforcement officer and warned him against allowing politicians to hijack his roles.

    Constitutionally speaking, he said it was the place of the police to play a major role in all civil matters in the country, including providing security during elections.

    He stressed that other security agencies only complemented the efforts of the police where necessary.

    The governor assured the new CP of the state government’s support and urged the police to be thoroughly professional in discharging their duties to prevent a recurrence of the alleged irregularities that marred the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly polls in some parts of the state.

    He emphasised the need for institutions and individuals to respect the rule of law noting that democracy, as well as national unity and stability, would continue to suffer a setback in the country’s quest for sustainable development if drastic measures were not taken to check the growing lawlessness and impunity.

    Dickson restated his call on the people of the state to come out en masse to participate in the Saturday’s House of Assembly polls, decrying the attitude of politicians who see election as a do-or-die affair.

    He said: “We expect the police in this state now led by you for this election purposes to play its crucial, primal role and take charge of election security and monitoring.

    Read Also: Dickson accuses military of terrorism

    I have always said that I treat every Commissioner of Police in this state as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer. All other agencies have to support the police and the CP.

    “So, as Commissioner of Police in charge of election duties, we expect you to lead and take decisive steps (preventive as well as enforcement steps) to ensure that hoodlums do not hide under the cover of elections to kill, maim and destroy property and destabilise our peaceful communities.

    “Nobody should be allowed, no matter how highly placed, to sponsor criminals and gang leaders to foment crisis.

    Election is not war. It is not where people arm criminals to constitute a direct challenge of the nation. Under your leadership, we expect that you will take steps to check such criminal acts between now and the election and thereafter.

    “The level of impunity displayed by political actors is such that if it is not contained, it will lead to complete disregard of the law, its servants and agencies and even a threat to the existence of the state itself as an organised authority.”

    Earlier, David assured the governor of his team’s readiness to provide adequate security and level playing ground for all political parties and voters to exercise their franchise in the elections.

    The police boss said he had upon arrival in the state, held series of meetings with various stakeholders, including sister security agencies, to review what transpired in the last elections with a view to forestalling any recurrence of the identified irregularities in this Saturday’s polls.

    He said: “The mandate of the IGP Mohammed A. Adamu is for us to come out here and discharge our duties professionally. And that is what I have told the officers and men today (Thursday). We want to assure the people of Bayelsa that the team deployed here will discharge their duties creditably.

    “There will be adequate security. So, the fear of anything happening at the polling stations should be put to rest. We have been able to identify what the problems are and we are making sure that such things do not repeat themselves again.”

  • Air Force deploys helicopter for election in Anambra

    Ahead of Saturday’s House of Assembly and National Assembly supplementary elections in Anambra state, the Nigerian Air Force, has deployed helicopters for aerial surveillance in the state.

    As a result, the state government has asked residents not to panic as it is part of the measures by security operatives to checkmate electoral troubles in the state.

    The State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C-Don Adinuba, said this on Friday in Awka in a statement made available to reporters

    Adinuba said ,”As part of the effort to ensure a free and fair election on Saturday, March 9, the Nigerian Air Force will deploy some of its helicopters to conduct surveillance across the country. The helicopters will fly at low altitudes most of the time”

    “The Anambra State Government is, therefore, advising the people not to panic at the aerial surveillance especially when they see the helicopters flying at low levels in different parts of the state”

    ” The aircraft will fly at low levels to enable the Nigerian Air Force personnel to have a bird’s eye view of the situation on the ground”

    ” A number of innocent Nigerians, including security officers, lost their lives or were maimed during the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections”

    “The Government does not want a repeat of any such tragic occurrence in any part of the Federation”

    “The Anambra State Government calls upon all our people, particularly youths who are used by unconscionable politicians to snatch ballot boxes and foment trouble generally during elections, to resist the temptation to run foul of the law or contravene any electoral regulation” the statement read.

  • INEC, security chiefs meet ahead of polls

    The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) and the security agencies involved in the conduct of the general elections met on to concretise security arrangements ahead of Saturday polls.

    On Saturday 9th March 2019, Nigerians are expected to elect Governors in 29 States, as well as members of Houses of Assembly in all the States of the Federation.

    There will also be elections into FCT council areas as well as supplementary National Assembly polls in some part of the country where elections did not hold on the 23rd of February.

    Welcoming the security chiefs, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu stressed the importance of the meeting as it is coming two days before the last sets of the general elections.

    He said, “this is a very important meeting indeed. It is also the last consultative meeting before the second phase of voting in the 2019 general elections. ”

     

    Details shortly…

  • IGP bans covered vehicle number plates

    The Inspector-General of Police, Ag. IGP Mohammed Adamu has banned the use of covered Vehicle Number Plates by all unauthorized users across the country.

    The order which is with immediate effect came following intelligence report that covered number plates may be used to commit electoral offences.

    Asides the threat to the polls, the IGP also noted that covering of vehicle number plate amounts to clear breach of the Road Traffic Act and other relevant laws of the land.

    The IGP also warned that any security personnel found escorting their principal with an unmarked vehicle or those with masked vehicle number plates will be arrested and dealt with accordingly.

    This is contained in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday by the Force Spokesman, ACP Frank Mba.

    The statement reads: “The IGP gave this order on Tuesday, 5th March, 2019, following intelligence report that the unwholesome practice may be deployed by some unscrupulous persons to aid the commission of electoral related offences before, during and after the Saturday, 9th March, 2019 Gubernatorial/House of Assembly elections.

    Read Also: Guber polls: IGP warns would-be troublemakers

    “Apart from the above immediate possible threats to the polls, the IGP also noted that the covering of Vehicle Number Plate amounts to a clear breach of the Road Traffic Act and other relevant laws of the land.

    “In addition, the act could also impact negatively on national security and safety and has the capacity to; heighten criminal activities, engender atmosphere of lawlessness, shield perpetrators of crime and place unnecessary pressure on security agencies in their routine crime prevention and monitoring tasks.”

    The IG also directed all Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) and Commissioners of Police (CPs) in the Zonal and State Commands to strictly enforce the restriction order at their various Areas of Responsibilities (AOR) and to ensure that all defaulters are dealt with according to the law.