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…says INEC must explain its incompetence
President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that political thugs who attempt to snatch ballot boxes during the elections will be doing so at the risk of their lives.
The President gave the warning on Monday at the opening of All Progressives Congress (APC) National Caucus emergency meeting at the party secretariat in Abuja.
Saying he was confident of the support he had garnered having campaigned in the 36 states of the federation and the federal capital territory, the President said the security agencies had been mandated to identify security hotspots.
He warned, “I do not expect anybody to make any disturbance. I have briefed the law enforcement agencies and the military to identify hotspots, flash points, [and] they should be prepared to move. They too would have made their own arrangement as possible as resources have been provided as much as the country can afford it. And anybody who decides to snatch ballot boxes or lead thugs to disturb it (elections), maybe that would be the last unlawful action he would take. I have directed the police and the military to be ruthless.
“We are not going to be blamed that we want to rig elections. I want Nigerians to be respected, let them vote whoever they want across the parties. I’m not afraid… As you said, I have gone round all the 36 states and Abuja. I think I have gotten enough support across the country.
“I am going to warn anybody who thinks he has enough influence in his locality to lead a body of thugs to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system, he would do it at the expense of his own life.”
INEC must explain its incompetence
Meanwhile President Buhari says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has questions to answer over the postponement of the general election.
The electoral body had blamed the postponement of the elections on logistics.
Reacting during the APC caucus meeting on Monday, Buhari said, “I have to leave my constituency and come to Abuja immediately, because I was told of the decision of INEC about 4:30 in the morning.”
He added, “I told them in my statement at the airport that INEC had all the time and all the resources they wanted and then they have to wait for only six hours to casting the votes to tell us that it is not possible. Definitely, the reasons why such incompetence manifested itself has to be explained to the nation.”
