As part of activities preparatory to the 2019 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC Monday night released the guidelines for the conduct of February/March polls.
The guidelines made available to journalists indicated that major innovations in the guidelines are the mandatory use of smart card reader for verification of voters, simultaneous accreditation and voting as well as margin of lead principle.
According to clause 10(a) of the guidelines, “a person intending to vote shall be verified to be the same person on the the Register of voters by the use of the smart card reader in the manner prescribed in these regulations and guidelines” and “any poll official who violates the provision of clause 10(a) shall be deemed to be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to prosecution”.
The guidelines indicated that there would be simultaneous accreditation and voting in which ” accreditation and voting shall commence at 8.00am and close at 2:00pm, provided that all voters already on the queue by 2:00pmshall be allowed for accreditation and voting”.
Also, the guidelineshave introduced, ‘the margin of lead principle’, “where an election is postponed in line with section 26 of the electoral act and it is ascertained that the total number of registered voters in the Polling Units affected by the postponement is less than the margin by which the leading candidate is ahead of the second candidate in the election, indicating that the result of the election will not be affected by the postponement, the returning Officer shall make a return for the question.
“Where the margin of lead between two leading candidates in an election is NOT in excess of the total number of voters registered in Polling Units where elections are not held or voided in line with sections 26 and 53 of the Electoral Act, the Returning Officer shall decline the to make a return until polls have taken place in the affected Polling Units and the results collated into the relevant forms for declaration and return.
James Kwen, Abuja
