OSUN STATE ELECTION: INEC CLEARS THE AIR ON PHONE USAGE
Read Time:1 Minute, 54 Second
By Joseph Omoniyi
Ahead of the governorship election coming up this Saturday in Osun State, Resident Electoral Commission, Olusegun Agbaje, has warned electorates not to allow themselves misguided by mischievous politicians who have deliberately misinterpreted the Commission’s directives on phones at polling units.
Agbaje, reacting at a Press Conference in Ososgbo on Friday , to allegations that INEC had placed a total ban on phones and camera usage at venues of the voting exercise, said, the Commission had not asked anybody not to come with their mobile phones.
He made it clear that, what the Commission would do is prevent voters from entering voting boots with their handsets. He said this is in a bid to curb vote-buying by representatives of corrupt politicians who may want to induce the electorates.
He said, “It is important to once again clear the air on some baseless allegations being peddled around by some critical stakeholders, such as the banning of phones and other cameras at the polling unit; giving out of uncollected Permanent Voter Cards to a certain political party; preparing the Smart Card Readers to favour a particular political party; and that INEC will be biased during the election.
“The allegations are not true. They are figments of the imaginations of those that made them, as they have not been able to substantiate them as I speak to you. INEC did not place a ban on phones and other camera devices at the polling units.
“What INEC said is that voters should not carry their phones or other camera devices into the voting cubicles where the voter will mark the ballot so as to safeguard the secrecy of the ballot.
“Voters are free to come with their phones and other camera devices; what we are saying is that at the cubicle where they will be casting their votes, they can’t be allowed to go in with anything except the voting materials.”
The Electoral Commissioner reinstated that, government is ready to unleash the full wrath of the law against any politician or voter found flaunting this directive.
He clarified that the commission only asked voters not to hold their phones inside the voting cubicle, in a bid to curb vote-buying, a phenomenon that has marred elections in the past.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0