March 29, 2011 04:56AM |  print  email   |
The Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, yesterday dramatically reversed his directive that allegedly banned the use of camera phones at polling stations in the forthcoming elections.
Following widespread condemnation of the order, which was set to be made public yesterday, police sources claimed the Inspector General was misquoted.
The Police boss was reported in the media last week to have ordered his officers – during the police commissioners’ conference - not to allow voters use camera phones in the polling units during elections.
Yemi Ajayi, a spokesperson of the police, said in an interview on Monday, that his boss was “quoted out of context.”
Mr. Ajayi added that the police boss simply warned that voters should not announce election results as only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has the constitutional authority to do so.
News of the camera phone ban had led to strong criticism on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook through the weekend and created concerns over the dedication of the Police Force to the conduct of free, fair, and transparent elections.
Once news of the directive started easing its way into the public, political parties and notable Nigerians immediately condemned the move.
Speaking to journalists in Lagos last week, Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, slammed the directive as “nonsense and illegal”.
“It is stupidity of the security agents to ban Nigerians from taking their cell phones and cameras to polling booths. If they do not go to polling booths, how would they monitor electoral misconducts? People should ignore it because it is contrary to the electoral act,” Mr. Soyinka said.
Use it
Although Attahiru Jega, the INEC chairman, met with Mr. Ringim on Monday morning, it was not clear if the ban was discussed.
However, in an interview, the electoral commission distanced itself from such a directive, saying voters are free to use their camera phones at polling stations on election days.
“The position of INEC is very clear. INEC has said anyone can bring their phone or camera to the polling unit. Anything to the contrary is not the position of INEC,” Kayode Idowu, the chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, said.
Mr. Idowu added that “INEC is trying to sort things out and is consulting with the security agencies.”
Real-time monitoring
Mobile camera phones and other specialised widgets are the contemporary tools of journalism which most observers, professionals, and journalists intend to use to monitor the elections and check rigging and fraudulent manipulations.
Kayode Ajulo, an FCT senatorial candidate for the Labour Party, said that such tools have been of immense help in determination of electoral fraud by the courts in past elections.
“The IG does not even have the right to ban its use,” Mr. Ajulo added.
Many of the non governmental organisations planning to monitor the elections with camera phones also said the comments attributed to the police chief were outrageous and that they will not succumb to it.
“We will not succumb to that,” Dafe Akpedeye, the first co-chair of an election monitoring group, Project 2011 Swift Count, said.
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