Vote buying: INEC bans use of phones, camera devices at polling booths

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has banned the use of mobile phones and camera devices at the polling stations to eliminate vote buying during the forthcoming general elections.

INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kaduna state, Abdullahi Adamu Kaugama, who disclosed this during the Stakeholders Interactive Meeting with  heads security and leaders of political parties on Wednesday.

He said the commission is worried with issues of vote buying and has responded to the menace in three ways.

“We altered the configuration our polling units by moving the ballot boxes closer to the voting cubicles in order to make it difficult for voters to expose their marked papers.

“We have introduced a partial ban on the use of mobile phone and other photographic devices while in the cubicles.

“We are introducing the rolling and flattening of ballot papers before casting them into the ballot boxes,” Kaugama said.

He informed the stakeholders that training activities and distribution of non-sensitive materials have started in earnest and assured them that the INEC has also embarked on intense voters enlightenment.

He appealed to political parties and other stakeholders to help educate their members about the various aspects of the elections and preaches and conducts their electioneering exercise in peace.