The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has revealed that it is more expensive to conduct a recall election than a constituency election.
Special Adviser to INEC Chairman, Mohammed Kunna, made this
known during an online discussion on INEC Regulation and Guidelines for Recall,
2024.
The event was held on Saturday via
the X social media platform and discussion also covered BVAS and IREV: Facts
and Myths.
Kunna pointed out that conducting a recall election was similar to conducting three constituency elections.
“Once a petition is received and verified to meet legal
requirements, INEC must first conduct a verification exercise at the affected
polling units.
“For that verification to happen, we have to use the
Bi-Modal Voter Verification System (BVAS) because those who signed the petition
must be verified as genuine registered voters in those units.
“Then, INEC needs to establish 50 per cent plus one
signature from the constituency.
“After that, we proceed to the final stage: conducting the
referendum, which involves a yes or no vote by registered voters in the
constituency,” Kunna said.
According to him, the process involved mobilising staff,
deploying election materials, transportation, and other resources, much like
conducting three senatorial district elections.
Also speaking, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman,
Rotimi Oyekanmi, acknowledged the high cost, stressing that INEC must adhere to
the law.
Oyekanmi earlier noted that INEC’s regulations and the
Electoral Act specified the process for conducting a recall election.
“The law allows a recall election only if the petitioners
meet constitutional requirements, including submitting signatures from at least
half of the registered voters in the constituency.
“Once the petition is received, INEC performs a preliminary
check and then verifies the signatures.
“The lawmaker facing recall is informed and has the right to
deploy agents to observe the process,” he said.
Oyekanmi also addressed the possibility of online voting,
stating that the Constitution did not permit INEC to conduct electronic voting.
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