By Umar Bayo Abdulwahab
Ilorin
Two legal luminaries; Malam Yusuf Olaolu Ali, and Speaker of the Kwara state House of Assembly, Barr, Razak Atunwa, have said that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Sulaiman Abba, was wrong on his directive that voters should leave polling units after casting votes.
Atunwa, a constitutional lawyer by training and Director- General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign organisation in Kwara state, described the directive “as null and void and off no effect whatsoever in the law.”
The duo spoke during separates interviews with journalists in Ilorin on Saturday.
Atunwa, who is contesting for the Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency seat at the House of Representatives, spoke with newsmen at the popular Pakata roundabout, Ilorin, where he was received by mammoth crowd of APC supporters.
He said: “It is null and void, off no effect. Speaking as a constitution lawyer, the law permits you to remain within the vicinity of the polling booths even after casting your votes. In as much as you have your PVC, you are entitled to be at that polling unit without time-limit. The IGP, I am afraid, got it wrong. I stand with Jega on this matter.”
He said Abba was over-stepping his boundary based on recent directive that voters should leave polling units after voting.
According to him, with the latest development, the IGP should have honourably resigned.
“As far as elections are concerned, the say of INEC is final and this is not the first time the IGP would be going beyond his steps with respect to law. He took it upon himself to be interpreting the constitution when Tambuwal defected and he said the man has lost his seat.”
