Buhari’s Kill-At-Sight Order, And Why There’s No Ballot Snatching In The US
The Oasis Reporters
February 20, 2019
Coming against the backdrop of the earlier “dogs and baboons” will be soaked in blood threat allegedly made by Buhari in 2011 that led to the death of many Nigerians and now the subject of a litigation against by Prof. Goran Sluitter at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, it becomes apparent that the handlers of the president have not done enough to suppress the combative image and perception of His Excellency the president.
It may seem that his statement ordering the security agencies to be ruthless in killing any ballot snatcher was meant to patriotically deal with a malignant problem, but it is not. A social media commentator said the Electoral Act already made provision for election riggers and ballot boxes snatchers, the punishment DOES NOT include death.
As a nation ruled by laws, that order has been described as unconstitutional because there are provisions already put in place which prescribes a jail term for ballot box snatchers.
What does the Electoral Act says about ballot box snatching?
The Electoral Act (2010), however, does not prescribe death for any electoral offence.
The maximum sentence for snatching of ballot boxes is 24 months in prison.
Section 129 (4) of the Electoral Act states, “Any person who snatches or destroys any election material commits an offence and is liable on conviction to 24 months imprisonment.”
The Act further states that anyone who directly or indirectly engages in electoral violence shall be liable to three years in prison or a fine of N1m
Section 131. (1) states, “A person who- Threatening directly or indirectly, by himself or by another person on his behalf, makes use of or threatens to make use of any force, violence or restrain; (b) inflicts or threatens to inflict by himself or by any other person, any minor or serious injury, damage, harm or loss on or against a person in order to induce or compel that person to vote or refrain from voting, or on account of such person having voted or refrained from voting; or (c) by abduction, duress, or a fraudulent device or contrivance, impedes or prevents the free use of the vote by a voter or thereby compels, induces, or prevails on a voter to give or refrain from giving his vote, (d) by preventing any political aspirants from free use of the media, designated vehicles, mobilisation of political support and campaign at an election, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N1,000, 000 or imprisonment for a term of three years.”
With this new off the cuff pronouncement “ It means they can molest you, even if you are not a ballot snatcher! It means that INEC staff can point you out as a trouble maker, if you dare them when they are conducting themselves in unruly manner or helping a party to rig.
And once INEC staff points at you, the Army, Police, DSS and Civil Defense, are at liberty to deal ruthlessly with you or just murder you” said a commentator, who went on to ask, “why don’t they snatch ballot boxes in the USA?
Instead of adopting technological ways of conducting elections, preventing logistics failure, Buhari is prescribing primitive jungle justice in clear violation of the Electoral Act. With the new ad-hoc law put in place by the president, no provision was made by the law that makes any INEC staff found helping out in rigging to be shot as well. That is Anarchy, Mr. President”, continued the analyst.
Nothing is as frustrating to know that the system is rigged against you, asserted a former US Secretary of State, John F. Kerry, who took office on February 1, 2013. Such leads to strife and resentment.
Ena Ofugara is a social media commentator based in the US, and he notes that the recently held National Security Council meeting had near zero southerner in attendance. Even the Vice president is not sighted.
“Is this the type of partiality, lack of inclusion, divisiveness, regional and religious supremacy we want to carry to the next level?”, he asks.
Therefore who would be the victims of the “shoot at sight” order if not for those who are disfavoured even if all sides are involved in rigging ?
President Muhammadu Buhari was on occasions presented with the new Electoral bill to sign into law. He complained about it. Then declined to sign. Whereas there are provisions for real-time online transmission of electoral data which would have made ballot box snatching completely redundant, thereby saving lives as it is done in civilized societies. But why does Nigerian leadership resist modernity and improvement, rather than dance round primitive laws with their attendant sorrows they bring ?
