Sellers, buyers of PVCs risk 2-years jail term, N.5m fine – INEC

Sellers and buyers of permanent voter’s cards risk two years jail term and a N500,000 fine, according to Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq, INEC Administrative Secretary in Sokoto State.
INEC PVCs
Sadiq disclosed this on Wednesday in Sokoto, at a one-day Stakeholders’ Forum on the Continuous Voter Registration Exercise, scheduled to begin on Thursday.
The exercise is expected to be flagged off by Mrs. Amina Zakari, INEC National Commissioner in charge of the North West.
He said that a similar punishment would be meted to any person found to be in possession of a voter’s card unlawfully.
“There is also a one-year jail term, N100,000 fine, or both, for any person who makes a false statement, fails to give information or facilitate the registration of a fictitious person,” he said.
He said that a five-year jail term, N500,000 fine, or both, awaited anyone who induced any person to refrain from registering a voter.
According to Sadiq, same punishment will be meted out to any person who hinders another from registering as a voter.
The official said that the offences contravened the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2010, as amended, and warned members of the public to steer clear of them.
He said that INEC was working with security agencies to prevent political parties from hijacking the exercise.
Sadiq warned INEC staff to avoid any action that could compromise the integrity of the exercise, saying that anyone caught would be sanctioned.
A cross section of the stakeholders, who spoke commended the commission for being proactive, and promised their support toward the success of the exercise.

Source: Vanguard

RIVERS GOVT CALLS FOR DISSOLUTION OF INEC UNDER YAKUBU

Rivers state government has called for dissolution of the Independent National Electoral commission, INEC under the leadership of Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr Austin Tam-George in a statement Tuesday said the national assembly and the federal government should work towards disbandment of the electoral body.

He accused the commission of allegedly conniving with the leadership of the All Progressive Congress, APC to postpone the rerun elections slated for Saturday indefinitely.

The government further enjoined the international community to assist in mounting what it termed diplomatic pressure on the federal government to give Nigerians a credible electoral body.

His words, “The government of Rivers State and people of Rivers State are shocked by the bare-faced collusion between INEC and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to subvert democracy in the state”.

“It is completely unacceptable that Rivers State would continue to be denied full representation in the National Assembly due to the incompetence and malpractices orchestrated by INEC”.

"We call on the presidency and the National Assembly to act urgently in the national interest to disband INEC as presently constituted, for its incompetence and open partisanship."

“We call on the international community to initiate and maintain diplomatic pressure on the federal government, which continues to frustrate the independence of INEC and the evolution of democratic diversity in Nigeria”.

“The people of Rivers state will continue to resist and defeat the medieval authoritarianism of the APC”

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/rivers-govt-calls-dissolution-inec-yakubu/