* Releases guidelines on Monday
As part of its strategic plan of action for the general
elections starting on February 16, the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) will on Monday release its revised
guidelines and voter register to the nation’s 91 political
parties.
The commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Voter
Education and Publicity, Mr. Festus Okoye, confirmed to THISDAY
Wednesday that the revised guidelines were ready and would be
unveiled for the consideration of the political parties next
week.
“We are going to officially release voter register to the
political parties on Monday and we are also going to use the
opportunity to hand over guidelines and regulations for the conduct
of elections to them,” he said in an interview with our
reporter.
THISDAY had obtained a copy of the guidelines from a reliable
source last Tuesday. The rules, among others, retains the use of
smart card reader and the controversial incidence form.
The Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018, which was vetoed four
times by President Muhammadu Buhari, had sought to extensively
reform the electoral process by incorporating mandatory use of
smart card reader to the exclusion of incidence form as the mode of
accreditation of voters.
The amendment bill also sought to clean up the results collation
process, providing for electronic transmission of results from
polling units to collation centres.
Following the presidential veto and expression of disappointment
by opposition parties INEC National Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu,
had contended that the extant law was sufficient to guarantee a
transparent electoral regime, stating that whatever further reforms
were needed to straighten out the process would be accommodated by
the revised guidelines.
The revised rules obtained by THISDAY, left the opposition
parties with little to cheer about as it retained the main features
of the guidelines used to regulate the 2015 elections.
The electoral body stated categorically that the regulations and
guidelines supersede all other regulations or guidelines on the
conduct of elections issued by the commission and shall remain in
force until replaced by new regulations or amendments supported by
a Decision Extract of the Commission or an official gazette.
It said, “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
herein referred to as “the Commission” issues the following
Regulations and Guidelines for the conduct of Elections (general
elections, by-elections, re-run elections and supplementary
elections). These regulations and guidelines are issued as a
Decision Extract of the Commission of the 21st day of the month of
December 2018.”
The regulations and guidelines, it said, would apply to the
conduct of elections to the office of the President and Vice
President; Governor and Deputy Governor; National Assembly (Senate
and House of Representatives); State Houses of Assembly; Chairmen
and Vice – Chairmen of FCT Area Councils; and Councillors of FCT
Area Councils legislatures.
The electoral umpire said that voting in any election to which
the regulations and guidelines apply would take place at polling
units and voting points.
It added that in the case of the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT), voting would take place at Polling Units (PU), Voting Points
and Voting Point Settlements (VPS).
INEC explained that Voting Points (VPs) are created out of
Polling Units based on multiples of 500 and a maximum of 750
registered voters or as may otherwise be determined by the
commission.
It also noted that Voting Point Settlement (VPS) might be
created by the commission to facilitate access to voters in new
settlements not currently served by a PU, stressing that where a
VPS is created, it shall be treated as a Polling Unit.
On accreditation of voters on election day, INEC states in
Clause 8(b) that; “No person shall be allowed to vote at any
Polling Unit/Voting Point Settlement/ Voting Point other than the
one at which he/her name appears in the Register of Voters and
he/she presents his/her permanent voter card to be verified by the
Smart Card Reader, or as otherwise determined by the
commission.
It stated further, “10(a) In accordance with Section 49 (2) of
the Electoral Act, a person intending to vote shall be verified to
be the same person on the Register of Voters by use of the Smart
Card Reader (SCR) in the manner prescribed in these regulations and
guidelines.”
It warned, “Any poll official who violates the provision of
Clause 10 (a) shall be deemed to be guilty of an offense and shall
be liable to prosecution,” adding, “The accreditation process shall
comprise reading of the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) and
authentication of the voter’s fingerprint using the Smart Card
Reader; checking of the Register of Voters and inking of the
cuticle of the specified finger of the voter.”
The guidelines in Clause 11(b) retains the use of incidence
form, stating, “Where a voter’s PVC is read but his/her fingerprint
is not authenticated, the APO I shall refer the voter to the APO II
who shall: (i) request the voter to thumbprint the appropriate box
in the Register of Voters; (ii) request the voter to provide
his/her phone number in the appropriate box in the Register of
Voters; (iii) continue with the accreditation of the voter; and
(iv) refer the voter to the PO or APO (VP) for issuance of ballot
paper (s).”
It added, “Where a voter’s PVC is read but the name of the voter
is not on the Register of Voters, APO I shall refer the voter to
the PO or APO (VP) who shall issue a Tendered Ballot (TB) to the
voter.”
It said, “In the event that the PVC fails to be read by the
Smart Card Reader, the APO I shall refer the voter to the Presiding
officer or APO (VP) as the case may be, who shall request the
voter: (i) To thumbprint in the appropriate box in the Register of
Voters; (ii) Provide his/her phone number in appropriate box on the
Register of Voters if available; and (iii) Thereafter refer the
voter to the PO for the issuance of Tendered Ballot.”
The guidelines also made provision for possible failure of the
Smart Card Reader, stating in Clause 13(a) that, if it fails a
replacement has to be procured, and where that is not achieved by
2p.m, polling would have to be postponed till the next day for a
functional card reader to be provided.
On the use of Cell phone on election day and as part of effort
aimed at curbing vote buying, INEC in Clause 11A(iv) said that the
polling officer would request the voter to remove his/her cell
phone or any photographic device before proceeding to voting
cubicle.
INEC also made it clear in the regulations and guidelines that a
Polling Agent who aids and abets election malpractices at a Polling
Unit or Collation Centre would be disqualified and on the
instruction of the Poll Official/Collation Official would be
removed from the Polling Unit/Collation Centre and shall be liable
to prosecution.