By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied banning the use of smart phones around polling unit.
The electoral body however clarifies that the rule only comes into effect once a prospective voter enters the voting cubicle to cast his or her vote.
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi made the clarification on Wednesday in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He said this while reacting to a statement credited to the National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, condemning the ban on use of smartphones at polling booths by INEC.
Secondus had alleged that the ban by INEC was to perfect a rigging formula for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, Oyekanmi said the challenge of vote-buying and selling had prompted many stakeholders to call on INEC to devise innovative ways to tackle the problem.
He said: “In consultation with other stakeholders, the Commission came up with new measures to solve the problem, one of which is to disallow the use of smartphones and other electronic devices in the voting cubicles on election day.
“In other words, INEC is not banning phones around the polling unit area, but the ban takes effect from the moment a prospective voter collects his or her ballot paper and enters into voting cubicle to thumbprint and thereafter drops the folded ballot paper into the ballot box.
“After that, the voter can have access to his or her phone.”
Oyekanmi urged Nigerians to disregard any attempt by any individual or group to politicise what was purely a preventive measure.
Source: The Cable