The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it will no longer tolerate hoodlums and thugs disrupting elections and going scot-free, stating that such any person found guilt of this would have him or herself blamed.
Resident Electoral Commissioner in Oyo State, Mutiu Agboke made the assertion while addressing journalists during a valedictory programme held in his honour in Ibadan.
Agboke tenure as the Oyo state as REC, which lasted five years since 2018 will end on Wednesday.
The outgoing REC warned that any election conducted in a polling unit and disrupted by hoodlums or thugs will be cancelled by the commission.
Agboke while speaking on the preparation of the Commission ahead of the 2023 elections, explained that INEC has deployed all available means to curb electoral malpractices.
He added that the commission is passionate to conduct free, fair and transparent elections in 2023.
Agboke said, “Hoodlums and thugs have no business at the polling units. Because, if they disrupt the election in a polling unit, that election will be cancelled by the INEC.
“And now, the election result in a polling unit will be unloaded on the INEC website.
“So, if we conduct an election in a place and the hoodlums hijacked it, that will not affect the sanctity of the election because the result has been uploaded on the INEC website.
“Even before we get to the collation centre, the election result is already on the website.
“So, hoodlums or thugs who want to disrupt the election are wasting time”.