Politics Nigeria: INEC to Prosecute Under-Age Voters

[ProfRem]

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Wednesday that it would prosecute under-age voters in Plateau.

Dr Godwin Kwanga, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in the state made this known in a Stakeholders’ Forum in Jos ahead of re-run elections in the state fixed for Feb. 20, 2016.

Kwanga said that the state was replete with underage voters in possession of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

He announced that the polls would hold in Langtang South, Pankshin North and Pankshin South state constituencies. The REC said that the menace of underage voters almost marred the last general elections in the state.



According to him, the menace produced a lot of mutilated and voided votes during the April 11, 2015 polls in Quan’Pan Local Government Area.

“Our experience in Quan’Pan showed that a lot of underage voters were having the PVCs and this led to a lot of cancellations.”

“One of the underage voters, who had PVC bearing his image and the age of 36 years, confessed to INEC officials that he was only 16 years old.”

“We looked the other way even when in the same elections, our tags were photocopied and massively reproduced by agents of political parties,’’ he said.

He, however, said that unlike what happened in the April 11 polls, INEC was set to prosecute any case of underage voters in the coming rerun and supplementary polls




- Vanguard

 

[stato]

jokers... [USERGROUP=15]@News Hub Team[/USERGROUP]

 

[Temitope]

jokers... [USERGROUP=15]@News Hub Team[/USERGROUP]

Jokers indeed. I served in one of the mentioned local governments as Presiding Officer. Pankshin Local government to be precise. Underage voting was free-for-all. You're are even threatened by villagers if you refuse to release the cards. I didn't release mine but they eventually 'stole' it. That's a story for another day. Worst still, on the day of voting, in another polling unit, I refused to accredit some underage voters. The villagers asked me if I was there at their birth. When it became a tussle, it was the policeman attached to me that told me to corporate with the villagers. How I wish I didn't have a policeman.

 

[abujagirl]

Jokers indeed. I served in one of the mentioned local governments as Presiding Officer. Pankshin Local government to be precise. Underage voting was free-for-all. You're are even threatened by villagers if you refuse to release the cards. I didn't release mine but they eventually 'stole' it. That's a story for another day. Worst still, on the day of voting, in another polling unit, I refused to accredit some underage voters. The villagers asked me if I was there at their birth. When it became a tussle, it was the policeman attached to me that told me to corporate with the villagers. How I wish I didn't have a policeman.

You wouldn't be here if there was no policeman

 

[Temitope]

You wouldn't be here if there was no policeman

I will still be here. The policeman did nothing at all. At the time when voting ending, the last accredited person had voted and only about half of the ballot papers had been used came another series of agitation. This time they came with stocks of PVCs and wanted to cast votes with those PVCs. At first they wanted to bribe, I didn't agree and then they started like wanting to cause trouble and even threathen to injure or kill. In front of all of them, I cancelled all the remaining ballot paper and told them I had closed accreditation on the card reader. I just knew my life can't end there. In all of this, the policeman and Civil defence personnel couldn't do anything. They just stood at a distance without interfering.

 

[ProfRem]

I will still be here. The policeman did nothing at all. At the time when voting ending, the last accredited person had voted and only about half of the ballot papers had been used came another series of agitation. This time they came with stocks of PVCs and wanted to cast votes with those PVCs. At first they wanted to bribe, I didn't agree and then they started like wanting to cause trouble and even threathen to injure or kill. In front of all of them, I cancelled all the remaining ballot paper and told them I had closed accreditation on the card reader. I just knew my life can't end there. In all of this, the policeman and Civil defence personnel couldn't do anything. They just stood at a distance without interfering.

Hmmm.. The Grace of God is with you