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| INEC |
The Chairman, Anti-Corruption Commission, Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Yusuf Ali (SAN), on Sunday said the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sulieman Abbah, over-stepped his bounds in his recent directive that electorate should go home after voting and should not wait for the votes to be counted.
He stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission had final directives over the conduct of the elections.
The SAN said the position of INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, that no law prevented electorate from waiting for the counting of the votes was valid and lawful.
He spoke to journalists in Ilorin on the sidelines of ‘Walk for peace and sanctity of human lives,’organised by Ghalib Chamber.
He stated that people should have value for the sanctity of human lives. He urged all stakeholders to ensure that the March 28 and April 11 general elections are violence-free, transparent and credible.
Ali said, “As far as elections are concerned, the position of INEC is final and this is not the first time the IG would be going beyond his bounds with respect to law. He took it upon himself to be interpreting the constitution when the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Party. The IGP said Tambuwal has lost his seat.
“So for me, when INEC says you stay there till the end of the election, no other person and no other authority in Nigeria can contravene that because the conduct of election is the preclusive preserve of INEC.”
He also said the IGP should have resigned having restored Tambuwal’s security details.
He stated that the restoration of the security details was evidence that Abba goofed when he withdrew them.
“Actually when, some days ago, I read that he has restored Tambuwal Security details, honourably he should have resigned because it has shown that the position he took was illegal, unconstitutional and was political, on the stand of withdrawing the details in the first place.
“For an honourable person, he would just go, but Nigeria does not possess too many people who have principle which is unfortunate,” Ali said.
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