…Says 187m ballot papers printed
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is already making plans to conduct a second presidential election in 2023 in case there is no clear winner after the February 25, 2023 poll.
INEC Commissioner, Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, disclosed this yesterday, at a roundtable meeting with media Bureau Chiefs in Abuja. This is just as it affirmed that a candidate can come third in the presidential election and be the one qualified for the run-off.
The electoral body also said that it has made plans to print double the total number of ballot papers required for the first ballot.
Okoye said that the Commission had to do so because it may not have the time to arrange for the printing of ballot papers immediately after the first election to be able to deploy in time for the next poll.
According to him, on the governorship election, INEC has also concluded arrangements to print the double amount of ballot papers for at least four governorship run-off states in case no winner emerges from the first election in any of the states.
He said the law provides that before anyone is declared winner of the presidential election, the candidate must have the highest number of votes cast and secure a quarter of the votes cast in two-thirds of the states of the federation and the FCT.
The INEC Commissioner affirmed that not all candidates will participate in the second election should there be no clear winner on the first ballot. He noted that while 18 candidates will be in the first election, only two will be on the ballot for the second election.
According to him, the two candidates will be the ones that scored the highest number of votes at the election while the second candidate will be the one among the candidates who has the majority of votes in the highest number of States.
He said if 93 million ballot papers are required for the presidential election, INEC will print 186 million ballot papers just to be ready for a possible second presidential election.
