Some Inconclusive Elections in Nigeria since 2011 are Osun 2018, Imo 2011 and 2015, Bayelsa 2015, Anambra 2013, Taraba 2015, Kogi 2015 And Other Polls. With a margin of 482 votes, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Gboyega Oyetola was declared Osun State governor-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Returning Officer Prof. Joseph Afuwape declared Oyetola winner. Oyetola won after supplementary election held in seven units across four local government areas where election could either not hold on September 22 or was cancelled due to irregularities.

Until last week nobody has questioned INEC on inconclusive elections in Nigeria. PDP did not go to court to challenge INEC on inconclusive elections from 2011 until Osun 2018 recently. Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) has been applying this regulation in several polls. So there is nothing new here. This was implemented in Governorship elections in Imo (2011 and 2015), Anambra (2013), Taraba (2015), Kogi and Bayelsa (2015) and several other polls. Let us take a look at examples of these inconclusive elections. Specifically, Section 153 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) empowers the Commission, in pursuit of the provisions of the Act, to “issue regulations, guidelines, or manuals for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of this Act and for its administration thereof”. Accordingly, INEC has made guidelines and regulations to protect the sanctity of the vote in instances where the processes are disrupted to disenfranchise voters. It is common knowledge that politicians have hijacked ballot papers, chased away voters and disrupted processes and procedures to gain an unfair advantage. That is why INEC formulated guidelines and regulations to the effect that where voters are disenfranchised on account of someone’s disruptive action, INEC gives such voters another opportunity to vote where their number will make a difference to the outcome of the election. The Commission has been applying this regulation in several polls. So there is nothing new here. This was implemented in Governorship elections in Imo (2011 and 2015), Anambra (2013), Taraba (2015), Kogi and Bayelsa (2015) and several other polls. Let us take a look at examples of these inconclusive elections.

IMO GUBER ELECTIONS 2015
Rochas Okorocha( APC): 385,671
Emeka Ihedioha( PDP): 306,142
The margin of Victory: 79,529
Cancelled votes:144,715

From the above, it is evident that the margin of victory was lower than the cancelled votes, a number that is enough to alter the balance. The Commission under Professor Attahiru Jega did the needful and promptly declared the elections inconclusive. Take note that the PDP, the ruling party then hailed the decision and applauded the decision of the INEC, calling it a “patriotic and sound decision “. Of course, APGA kicked against it. A re-run election was scheduled which APGA won. Recall that a similar situation had happened in 2011 in the same Imo between Rochas Okorocha and Ikedi Ohakim where INEC had declared the elections inconclusive because elections did not take place in some wards.

ANAMBRA SENATORIAL ELECTION 2011
Dora Akunyili( APGA):66,273
Chris Ngige ( ACN):65,576
Margin:697

In this instance, INEC declared the elections inconclusive because elections were cancelled in some wards with a voting population that was clearly higher than the margin of victory. A re-run took place which Akunyili lost.

KOGI GUBER ELECTION 2015
Abubakar Audu( APC):240,867
Wada Idris (PDP):199,514
Margin:41,353
Cancelled votes:49,953

Again, the margin here was less than the cancellations and was rightly declared inconclusive by the Professor Mahmood Yakubu led INEC. The point to note here is that the APC was by this time the ruling party and clearly had a huge lead but Yakubu still refused to budge under pressure by the ruling party to announce it as the winner. The PDP applauded it.

BAYELSA GUBER ELECTIONS 2015
Dickson ( PDP):105,748
Sylva ( APC):72,594
Margin:33,154

In the case of Bayelsa, a contraption of an election had taken place in Southern Ijaw which had Sylva winning the entire 120,000 votes in that area virtually, but this much-maligned Yakubu refused to accept it, declared it inconclusive and ordered a re-run because the number of registered voters were clearly more than the margin of victory. The PDP received this news well and celebrated it.

ANAMBRA GUBER ELECTION 2013
Obiano ( APGA):174,710
Tony Nwoye ( PDP):94,956
Margin:79,754
Cancelled votes:113,113

Again the Commission under Jega declared it inconclusive, and the PDP celebrated it as a bold move.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said in 2011 that the winner of the gubernatorial in Imo State between the then incumbent Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the leading challenger, Rochas Okorocha of All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, will only be determined after re-run polls in the local government areas where election was declared inconclusive yesterday.

Professor Enoch Akubundu, INEC Returning officer for Imo State gubernatorial election had said that the final results of the election could not be announced because only results from 24 out of the 27 local government areas in the state have been collated. According to him, it is necessary to collate the results from all the local governments in the state since the two leading candidates are running neck and neck. The two leading candidates were in a photo finish in the results of the local governments declared before the announcement by the Returning Officer.

Rochas Okorocha of APGA had won 12 local governments out of the 24 declared, while Ohakim had won in 11 local governments and was leading in Oguta with 12,216 against APGA’s 4,449 when the Returning Officer for the local government declared that there were no elections in some wards in the area.

The Independent National Electoral Commission had issued an official statement about the conduct of the Osun State governorship election. In what can pass as the tightest governorship election in the annals of elections in the country, the Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Ademola Adeleke, polled 254,698 votes while his closest marker, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, of the All Progressives Congress, APC scored 254,345 votes. Adeleke led with 353 votes, which is a far cry from the 3,498 voided votes in Orolu LGA (three units, 947 votes), Ife South (two units, 1,314 votes), Ife North (one unit, 353 votes), and Osogbo (one unit, 884 votes). Consequently, while announcing the result of the Saturday’s election, the electoral umpire said it was inconclusive and ordered a re- run to be conducted on Thursday, September 27 in four council areas where 3,498 votes were voided. This emerged as the PDP kicked against the re-run and vowed to go to court, insisting that it won the election.

On its verified Twitter handle, @inecnigeria, INEC issued a statement signed by Solomon Soyebi, its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education. In the statement, INEC revealed that the election’s Returning Officer, “Professor Joseph Adeola Fuwape, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, has communicated to the Commission, his inability to make a return in accordance with the legal framework and INEC Guidelines.

The affected areas include Orolu Local Government Area, Ife South, Ife North, and Osogbo Local Government Area. “Based on the results collated by the Returning Officer, the margin between the leading candidates is 353, which is lower than the number of registered voters in the affected areas. Extant law and INEC Guidelines and Regulations provide that where such situation occurs, a declaration may not be made,” the statement added.
INEC went on to assure Osun state voters that their votes would count. The Commission has been applying this regulation in several polls. So there is nothing new here. This was implemented in Governorship elections in Imo (2011 and 2015), Anambra (2013), Taraba (2015), Kogi and Bayelsa (2015) and several other polls. Let us take a look at examples of these inconclusive elections.

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Inwalomhe Donald writes from Benin City [email protected]