The Nigerian Police Force has warned the citizens against bringing pets to their polling booths during the forthcoming gubernatorial election to avoid facing the full weight of the law.
According to a tweet shared by the Nigerian Police Force on their verified Twitter page, the Police stated that bringing pets to the pooling units is against the Nigerian Electoral Act as ammended in 2022. The statement was released by the National Public Relations Officer of the NPF, Olumuyiwa Adejobi via a tweet on their Twitter page.
The statement classified dogs as offensive weapons that can be exploited by their owners to harass innocent voters who have come to exercise their franchise.
He also noted that the ammended Electoral Act banned the possession of any weapon that is capable of threatening or intimidating voters, of which dogs are included.
Quoting the sections of the Electoral Act where it was mentioned, he said, "The provision of Section 126 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022 explains clearly those exhibited by electorates that constitute electoral breaches and are punishable under the law, and paragraph (f) mentions possession of weapons calculated to intimidate voters and electoral officers. Dogs could be classified as offensive weapons as their owners/handlers can use them to intimidate, harass and cause assault and bodily harm to others".
Below is a screenshot of the tweet thread.
Content created and supplied by: Gistend (via Opera News )
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