The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said despite the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018, which makes the use of card reader mandatory, the 2019 elections will not be conducted with incident form.
INEC’s assurance is coming as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation has said the use of incident form in the impending general elections would be unacceptable to it.

The electoral body, however, said the rejected bill would have addressed the controversies that trailed the 2015 exercise especially the place of technology and others that the amendments seek to address.

Responding to THISDAY enquiry yesterday, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, said the presidential veto has created no lacuna in the electoral legal regime, explaining that the Electoral Act 2010 as amended in 2015 would be the operative law.

According to him, “While it may be better to have the necessary amendments to avoid some of the controversies that trailed the 2015 exercise, especially the place of technology and others the amendments seek to cure, we can still have good elections with the extant act as we did in 2015, which were adjudged free, fair and credible.”

Reacting to a report by an online newspaper that 13.5 million voters voted for Buhari without full biometric accreditation in 2015, Osaze-Uzzi said, “How was this determined? Biometric accreditation does not determine who a person votes for. Put another way, the card reader is used for biometric accreditation. It doesn’t determine how such persons vote.

“Incident forms will not be used in 2019.”

President Muhammadu Buhari had last week, for the fourth time withheld his assent to the amendment bill, citing legal drafting errors.

In separate letters dated December 6 titled, ‘Presidential Decision to Decline Assent to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 2018’, addressed to the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and Speaker Yakubu Dogara of the House of Representatives, Buhari explained that he was declining assent “principally because passing a new electoral bill this far into the electoral process for the 2019 general election, which commenced under the 2015 Electoral Act, could create some uncertainties about the applicable legislation to govern the process.”

The president also listed four provisions of the bill that required drafting amendments by the National Assembly. They include Section five of the bill amending section 18 of the principal act, which should indicate the subsection to which the substitution of the figure “30” for the figure “60” is to be effected and Section 11 of the bill amending Section 36 should indicate the subsection in which the proviso is to be introduced.

But the PDP presidential campaign said the use of incident form would not be acceptable to it in 2019.

One of the spokespersons, Mr. Segun Sowunmi, said that outpouring of goodwill by Nigerians since the PDP started its zonal presidential campaigns was an indication that the All Progressives Congress (APC) could not win the election in a free and fair contest.

He stated, “I want to tell INEC that it is a major unacceptable embarrassment that the business of incident forms will now take precedence over the card reader.

“Card reader is what must be encouraged to be the only thing that will be used for the 2019 elections. But how can we trust the integrity of the process if it is compromised by incident forms and underage people voting.”

Sowunmi insisted that the 2019 elections should be a celebration of the development of the country’s democratic journey, which he said could only be achieved if INEC conducts free, fair, credible and transparent elections in 2019.

An online newspaper at the weekend reported that at least 13.5 million Nigerians voted manually, without biometric accreditation, in the 2015 presidential election, according to data from INEC, part of the problems the amendment bill seeks to address.

The data, obtained by DeepDive Intelligence, shows that Buhari, candidate of the APC, won in nine of the 10 most-affected states, notwithstanding that the non-use of PVCs during the poll cut across all the political parties’ strongholds.

The 2015 presidential election had two major contenders, Buhari and Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s first incumbent president to lose a re-election bid.

Of the 31,746,490 accredited voters in the election, 13,536,311, representing 42.6 per cent of voters, voted without biometric accreditation.

Out of this number, 10,184,720 votes are from states won by Buhari and 3,351,591 votes came from states won by Jonathan, the PDP candidate, representing 75 per cent and 25 per cent of accredited voters respectively.

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2018/12/10/2019-despite-presidential-veto-inec-forecloses-use-of-incident-form/

very commendable from INEC... Way forward despite attempts by the lifeless dullard under the firm grip of a 2 man cabal to scuttle our democracy for selfish reasons...

Thisday PDP Newspapers

"..Of the 31,746,490 accredited voters in the election, 13,536,311, representing 42.6 per cent of voters, voted without biometric accreditation.

Out of this number, 10,184,720 votes are from states won by Buhari and 3,351,591 votes came from states won by Jonathan, the PDP candidate, representing 75 per cent and 25 per cent of accredited voters respectively.."

Jonathan was truly a gentleman.Buhari can stand this that is why he is anti-democratic by refusing to seal his own fate.Meanwhile, INEC is only playing to the gallery is they are still telling us that the card reader will only be an optional thing.

WATCH THEM USE THE FORM IN NORTH



INEC I HAIL UNA

Just a ploy to make themselves credible!
Who are they trying to deceive?

saintjimos:
WATCH THEM USE THE FORM IN NORTH




INEC I HAIL UNA

Very true.. Team Lifeless FC will intimidate the polling officers in the core North and whoever dare resist will be brutally lynched like the glorious NYSC matyrs of the 2011 elections.

Karma will take course on all those who supported such brutality.

inec.......... mtcheeeeeeew

Ok.

This is quite commendable. I hope they stick to it.

Hmmm

OK we are watching.

Good one from INEC, we should be moving forward not retrogressing..

The Inec Chairman has a choice to either immortalize his name or fade into oblivion.

Despite their minimal mistakes, when you talk of election umpires, you would always remember Humphrey Nwosu of 93' and JEGA of 2015..

Buhari has been a retrogressive president since 2015. I wasnt surprised he failed to accent to the bill that fixed all the loopholes we noticed in 2015 election. Those arguing that Buhari did not cause recession, have you seen it now

Another news they will come and deny tomorrow...that is all we see on news these day

2019 general election will be interesting.

Nice one

The electoral unpire is trying to convince Nigeria's that it is going to be nuetral in the forth coming elections but we all know all of that is just a chameleon tactics

Commendable

if it will be effective on the election day good
....but i doubt

Who is afraid here?

Why is apc jittery?

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PMB your journey back to Daura has just began

To all corners out there getting ready for Election lectures
Use your brain and make sure your legs are strong enough to carry you in case.. Always be vigilant Cox there are people who are not happy with you for no reason and will just want to insult or derogatory comments especially with languages you won't understand, so always keep yourself abreast and observe movements, don't be too focused with the job so u won't loose track, the 20 to 40k you're gonna be paid is nothing compared to one day life talk less of many more years ahead..Be wise and Alert, Remember you're your own police and security Man.. Work,observe and Pray.. God bless you all..

Lmao

All those who typed above did not even understand what they read.

Hatred for buhari has clouded their ability to understand articles

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What if Atiku is not able to vote? What if millions are disenfranchised die to that decision. GEJ wouldn't have been able to vote if there were no incident forms

jmaine:


Very true.. Team Lifeless FC will intimidate the polling officers in the core North and whoever dare resist will be brutally lynched like the glorious NYSC matyrs of the 2011 elections.

Karma will take course on all those who supported such brutality.

Those NYSC matyrs where killed Under PDP Rule for the Evil party Cause, Same thing we are trying so hard to avoid by all means... Ride on Baba BUBU...

I foresee this 2019 election bring post election controversy. why, because a lot of people who voted Buhari in the 2015 election that brought him to power will not be able to vote or on the other hand will be allowed to vote using federal might. either way, this will put the INEC in a position that will compromise the voting process through discrepancies in voting and accredited figures or they might want to save face and re introduce the incident forms. Either way there is going to be post election controversies

The INEC spokesman NEVER at any point in the article say that incident forms will not be used.. Read the piece again ..this time slowly

Shayetet13:
Buhari has been a retrogressive president since 2015. I wasnt surprised he failed to accent to the bill that fixed all the loopholes we noticed in 2015 election. Those arguing that Buhari did not cause recession, have you seen it now

what loopholes did they fixed precisely .... how you people tend to believe these rogues will do anything to nap themselves baffles me. pls mention the sections that will block the loopholes so i can read again.
if thieves within our local environment av access to make laws will they ever come up with laws that will hang them ..
rigging is why 85% of these rogues are occupying the floor of the house ...anyone who think the rep or nass will shoot themselves in the foot needs brain transplant.

It's a trap oo unless it's signed into law opposition parties should not agree to it. because it would be enforced in d south and it would not in d north. We know dem.

dotunbidemi:
Those NYSC matyrs where killed Under PDP Rule for the Evil party Cause, Same thing we are trying so hard to avoid by all means... Ride on Baba BUBU...

You are quite pathetic and their blood is on your head.

People killed innocent Corp members cos Buhari lost and here you are chatting nonsense