Senate committee backs troops deployment in Osun over threats of attacks by insurgents to scuttle voting Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Paulinus Nwagu, on Friday, clarified that soldiers were being deployed to provide security in states where elections are being held in order to forestall possible attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents. Nwagu, who stated this in Abuja while addressing journalists also cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission and the police against arresting anyone who decide to snap his or ballot paper while voting in the Osun governorship election on Saturday. He said, “The military are being deployed when we envisaged that there will be crisis in any particular place or state. “The militarization of the political process in Nigeria at the moment is due to the current spate of insurgency across the country. We are in a difficult situation now in this country due to the worrisome issue of terrorism. “If election is to be conducted in a particular place and adequate security is not provided, the insurgents can capitalize on that and go to such place and wreck havoc. This could destabilised the entire process. “So if soldiers are being deployed into states during election, it is a welcome development due to the situation we find ourselves.” He asked the security operatives and the INEC to allow the court of competent jurisdiction to determine the legality or otherwise of the snapping of ballot papers by voters. The senator said, “Snapping ballot papers is in order, it is not a new thing in Nigeria today. I have contested election before and I dont think it is an offence for anyone to record his ballot paper for documentation. “During my own election, my opponent snapped the entire process and he went to court after the election and made a presentation of what he snapped. It was left for the court to determine whether what he has done was right or wrong. “It is not for the INEC to determine. INEC should not say something is illegal. It is the court that would determine that after the election.” He described as untrue, allegations that the police are colluding with the Peoples Democratic Party to harass leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Osun State ahead of the governorship election on Saturday.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 15:14:44 +0000
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