Law & JusticeNigeria ElectionsSnatching Of Ballot Boxes Attracts 20-Year Jail Term

To ensure sanity in the electoral process in Nigeria, the Senate Bill has prescribed snatching of ballot boxes as an electoral offence and stipulates a 20-year jail term.

It further provides that any Candidate or Agent, who damages or snatches ballot boxes, papers or election materials before, during, and after an election without the permission of the presiding electoral official at the polling station attracts a minimum of 20 years imprisonment or a fine not less than N40 million.

In the same vein, the House of Representatives has consolidated four bills that seek to establish the Electoral Offences Commission and Offence Tribunal.

Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Abubakar Fulata, while leading the debate explained that the bills were voted on and approved for consolidation.

According to him, the House Committee on Rules and Business was then asked to schedule a date for the debate of the general principles of the newly consolidated bills.

The first bill seeks to establish the Electoral Offences Commission and the Electoral Offences Tribunal for related matters.

The second bill sponsored by the Chairman, House Committee on Electoral Matters, Aishatu Dukku, seeks to establish Nigerian Electoral Offences Commission and for related matters.

The third bill seeks to Establish Electoral Offences Commission and the Electoral Offences Tribunal to provide the legal framework for the investigation and prosecution of electoral offences for the general improvement of the electoral process in Nigeria and for related matters.

The fourth bill which seeks to establish National Electoral Offences Commission; and for related matters was transmitted by the Senate to the House for concurrence.

In line with the House Rules, the bill is expected to be gazetted for second reading at the next legislative day.

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Hassan Umar Shallpella (Regional Correspondent)

Veteran journalist and recipient of A.B.C Yola, Reporter of the Year Award (1997), Hassan Umar Shallpella, works with WAP as a Regional Correspondence. He was trained at Institute of Mass Communication and Technology Jos and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Training School Lagos.He was a News desk Editor and a Correspondent at the Punch newspaper and till 2019, was the Deputy Editor ofThe Scope newspaper.

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