Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), says it will not deploy Hisbah Corp, KAROTA, and other state controlled paramilitary forces to monitor elections in Kano.
Kano Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ambassador Abdulsamad Abdu Zango made the disclosure, at a public lecture organized by Aminu Kano center for Democratic studies, Bayero University Kano, and International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), held in Kano.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner explained that, the laws governing its operations distanced the state controlled paramilitary forces, from national election monitoring.
He stressed that the Law forbid them from using Hisbah and KAROTA as they are perceived as partisan.
Ambassador Abdu Zango pointed out that it is not practicable to provide security at the polling units, adding that the inadequacies arose from shortage of personnel by security agents saddled with such operations by law.
“Though it is incumbent on INEC to provide monitors on each polling unit, it’s however impracticable for now due to inadequacies of security personnel serving the state”.
He however assured that, there will be roving policemen who move from one polling unit to the other, to ensure adequate security of lives and properties during the election.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner decried over, the electoral empire’s inability to track political finances, with the huge amount set aside for political campaigns.
“It would have been easier to track finances through bill boards, but unfortunately each bill board you see is sponsored or courtesy of friends”.
Also speaking on voters rights, the Head of Legal Services INEC, Sulaiman Alkali identified procedures for registration as an eligible voter, to include Nigerians who are eighteen years and above, residing in a certain constituency and not under any sentence of death.
He pointed out that, it is obligatory for voters to respect laws and desist from causing havoc and threatening people, ballot box snatching, which are all punishable offences under the Nigerian constitution.
KHADIJAH ALIYU