The Ogun State Police Command has warned politicians and their supporters to play by the rules before and during the March 11 governorship and State Assembly elections in the state.
The CP gave the warning in Abeokuta, the state capital, during the Inter-agency Consultative Committee On Election Security (ICCES) interactive session with House of Assembly candidates and political parties’ Chairmen, ahead of Saturday’s election.
Mba, who was flanked by Heads of other security agencies and the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Niyi Ijalaye, said lawmakers have no immunity that would stop them from arrest and prosecution.
While assuring residents and other critical stakeholders of the State of utmost professionalism and impartiality, he however warned that the long arm of the law will be made to catch up with would-be criminals bent on scuttling the electoral process.
Mba warned that any candidate who wins an election but found culpable of the electoral offences would still be arrested and prosecuted after the election.
He cited an example of the ongoing trial of the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa who was remanded last week over alleged murder and arson in Kano State.
“I like to remind politicians particularly those who are contesting for the House of Assembly that electoral offences are not statute-barred, they can never be statute-barred because they are criminal offences. Even if you commit them and you seemingly win an election and you are sworn in as a lawmaker, you have no immunity that will stop us from coming after you even while you are a sitting member of the House.
“The best thing for you is to obey the law, win fair, square and clean, and then enjoy your victory in a relaxed mode,” he said.
The stakeholders noted that the successful conduct of the governorship and the House of Assembly elections is important to Nigerians, making the interactive session highly instructive to ensure credible, free and fair elections
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Niyi Ijalaye, reassured parties concerned that the lapses observed in the presidential and National Assembly elections were being looked into.
Some of the political parties present at the interactive session pledged their support to the tenets of the Electoral Act and promised to take the message back to their supporters.
