‘President still behaves like a dictator’
By Pascal Oparada
Social Media/Tech Reporter
The statement by President Muhammadu Buhari that security agencies have been told to deal ruthlessly with anyone caught snatching ballot boxes during the elections has elicited a backlash from Nigerians with many saying the president is calling for jungle justice and extra-judicial killings by security operatives.
Former minister of education, Oby Ezekwesili said Buhari clearly promotes jungle justice, saying the president nuanced extrajudicial killing in his statement and expressed shock that some young people are defending him.
“A President, @MBuhari makes a statement that clearly promotes jungle justice during elections with zero nuance to what he said and you have some young fellows defending this with their lives? May God help those of you that cannot see where this could lead on Election Day,” she said via her Twitter page.
She said the Electoral Act provides stiff punishment for ballot-box snatchers. According to her, the Attorney General should head over to the president’s office and show him the provisions as enshrined in the Act.
“Please get the Attorney General to walk over to the Villa and show @MBuhari that Sec.129 (4) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) provides that, any person who snatches or destroys any election material commits an offense and is liable on conviction to 24 months imprisonment,” she said.
Others say 34 years after losing power as a military dictator and four years into office as civilian president, Buhari has not learned what democracy is all about.
Senator Shehu Sani said the president was off the point with the statement and would have given security operatives orders to arrest and bring the perpetrators to book rather than saying they would pay with their lives.
“Those who attempt to snatch or snatched Ballot Boxes should be arrested and brought to book; This is a better expression to avoid jungle justice or Licence for the disorder by thugs who may take the law into their hands,” Sani said.
Supporters of the president said the president is right with his comments.