INEC Chairman Expresses Commission’s Readiness, Says Presidential Run-Off A Possibility

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…Nigeria has 16.7 million more voters than the rest of West Africa.

… concluded a policy on Diaspora voting.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu says a presidential run-off is a possibility after voters cast their ballot on February 25, 2023 for their preferred candidates.

Yakubu stated this on Tuesday when he discussed the plans of Nigeria’s highest electoral body for the forthcoming general elections at a world-leading policy institute and think-tank forum, Chatham House in the United Kingdom.

He said INEC had always prepared for the possibility of a presidential run-off in the last three elections and this year’s presidential election won’t be an exception. He also added that the commission is not considering the postponement of the presidential poll amid attacks on its offices nationwide.

“The truth of the matter is that for every general election, the commission prepares, at least for some time now, in the last three electoral cycles, we also prepare for that possibility,” he told participants during his appearance at the global think-tank forum.

According to a report by Channels Television, he said: “The reason is: until the constitution was amended, there was only one week for presidential run-off in case it happens. With the number of registered voters we have, it is almost impossible to print the ballot papers required and the result sheet and deliver them to locations and conduct the elections as required.

“So, every election since the last three electoral cycles, we also make provisions for the possibility of a presidential run-off in case it happens. If it happens, then we’ll have no issues, and this year is no exception,” Yakubu said.

 

Yakubu said with the amendment to the constitution, INEC now has three weeks between the presidential election date and the run-off date.

“Fortunately, the time frame has also been extended. The first alteration to the constitution has extended it by two more weeks.

“So, it is now three weeks instead of one week that we have before. We always prepare for that possibility in case it happens. We don’t know; it is in the hands of the voters but if it happens, we will not be caught napping.”

 On Diaspora voting, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the electoral body has concluded a policy on Diaspora voting.

He said that the Federal Government, in 2017, put the number of Nigerians in the diaspora at 17 million. However, many more citizens have since left for foreign countries in a wave commonly referred to as japa.

Addressing the recurrent issues around legalising diaspora voting, the INEC Chairman expressed hope that the legal obstacles preventing foreign-based Nigerians from voting will be cleared eventually.

Yakubu disclosed this while delivering a lecture at Chatham House in London on Tuesday afternoon on the topic ‘Nigeria’s 2023 Elections: Preparations and Priorities for Electoral Integrity and Inclusion’.

“We have actually completed the policy as far as the commission is concerned and we identified two categories of Nigerians living outside the country,” he said.

“We have the OCV (out-of-country) voting, mainly by service personnel and other Nigerians engaged in, say, foreign service, and those who are engaged in technical manpower.

“There is assistance organised by the Nigerian government for other countries, particularly in our sub-region. For now, they don’t vote. But the other leg of it is for Nigerians permanently resident outside Nigeria, that is, the diaspora voting.”

The INEC boss explained that the Commission worked with Nigerians in diaspora organisations within the United Kingdom and in the United States.

“We’re even happy that some constitutional amendments were submitted to the National Assembly.

“But eventually, they didn’t sail through in terms of the propositions forwarded to the state assemblies for concurrence before our constitution is amended,” he said.

According to Yakubu, the commission only acts in accordance with the electoral legal framework, which remains the main reason why it cannot implement diaspora voting at present, as much as its leadership would like to.

“Both the 1999 constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act provide that voters can only be registered and vote within the country.

“For instance, Section 77 Subsection 2 of the constitution says that every citizen of Nigeria must attain the age of 18 years old, residing in Nigeria at the time of the registration of voters for purposes of elections to a legislative house shall be entitled to be registered as a voter for that election.

“And there are other sections of the constitution that tie the eligibility to register and vote in executive elections – presidential and governorship – to the requirements of residency, as in the case of legislative elections,” he said.

 Conducting elections across West Africa

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said available data indicates that Nigeria has 16.7 million more voters than the rest of West Africa.

“Based on figures compiled from electoral commissions and interior ministries in West Africa, Nigeria’s current voter population is 16.7 million higher than the 76.7 million registered in all the other countries put together – and there are 14 other elections in the sub-region.

“This means that a general election in Nigeria is like conducting an election in the whole of West Africa and beyond,” he said.

Yakubu dismissed any speculation of plans to put off the elections scheduled for February 25th and March 11th, saying INEC is not contemplating let alone planning to postpone the 2023 general elections.

“We are going ahead to conduct the election as scheduled,” he said, adding that though there are “tremendous” challenges and expectations of INEC, the Commission was a beneficiary of “enormous” goodwill in Nigeria and beyond.

 “We can surmount the challenges and ensure elections continue to get better,” the INEC chairman said.

Early choice of election technology management tools, especially the main election technology, is very critical for success, according to him.

“We know that political actors often try to undermine the process by attacking the technology, casting doubts on its suitability, bypassing its use or indeed seeking to undermine its security.

“This informed the early choice of a new voter accreditation technology, using an electronic device called Bimordal Voter Accreditation System,” he said.

 

 

 

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