The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has banned all foreigners from participating in the forthcoming elections, and deployed its personnel to monitor all electoral activities in the country.
The Comptroller General of NIS, Muhammad Babandede, who made this disclosure in reaction to some media reports alleging possible registration of foreigners by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2019 elections, said it is part of the Service mandate to engage the populace in sensitisation campaigns which will bar non-Nigerians from participating in such exercise.
In a statement which was signed by the NIS spokesperson, Mr. Sunday James, Babandede noted that the NIS would maintain a good working relationship with INEC and all data harvesting agencies for the purpose of ensuring that persons, especially foreigners who are not supposed to be enrolled, do not get into the country’s database.
The statement read in part: “It is important to state that as part of its statutory roles of control of migrants in Nigeria, the NIS ensures that no foreigner participates in our electoral process.
“Aside deployment of personnel to monitor political process with a view to ensuring that no migrant gets involved in our politics, it is also customary with the NIS to embark on sensitisation campaigns to bar non-Nigerians from participating in such exercise.
“It is also worthy of note that NIS maintains a good working relationship with INEC and indeed all data harvesting agencies for the purpose of ensuring that persons especially foreigners who are not supposed to be enrolled do not get into the nation’s database.”
NIS assured well-meaning Nigerians of its capacity to ensuring that no persons other than Nigerians get enrolled in critical database.
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