Difference between rerun, run-off — and things you need to know about an inconclusive poll

It is official: the governorship election in Osun state
has been declared
inconclusive^[1].

Joseph Afuwape, returning officer of the election, who announced
this said the requirements for a candidate to be returned as winner
were not met.

Isiaka Adeleke, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
polled majority vote of 254,698 while Isiaka Oyetola of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) followed with 254,345 votes, leaving a
difference of 353.

This difference is far higher than the cancelled 3,498 votes
recorded in the election.

What are
cancelled votes?

Cancelled votes are votes that were annulled based on
irregularities or anomalies during election. It is the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) which has the right to cancel
votes.

Any difference between cancelled votes and voided
votes?

Yes. A big difference, though some people use them
interchangeably. Voided votes are votes that are not counted
because of certain mistakes. For instance, if a voter thumbprints
on the portion meant for two parties on a ballot paper, the
electoral official has the right to declare such vote void.

A voter can only cast his ballot for a party.

INEC has fixed Thursday for a rerun election in Osun.

First, what is a re-run
election?

A re-run election is an election conducted when the first one
was marred by malpractices or when correct procedures were not
followed. For instance, declaring an election inconclusive because
of the number of polling units were the votes were cancelled.
According to electoral rules, a re-run election can be so declared
if the margin of victory in an election is lower than cancelled
votes.

Is a rerun election different from run-off?

Yes. This is an election conducted when the first election fails
to produce a clear winner for the position of president or
governor. This can happen when the candidate with the highest votes
does not have the required vote spread in the affected
state/federation. A run-off will involve just the two leading
contenders.

Makarfi Denies Anointing Aspirants
The attention of Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi has been drawn to
rumours going round to the effect that he has anointed some
aspirants for some offices, including the governorship ticket of
the PDP in Kaduna State.

We wish to make it very clear that the distinguished has not
anointed anybody.. Senator Makarfi’s only preference is for the
party to win all available positions in the forthcoming
elections.

This is the more reason why he still encourages the coming
together of all the aspirants with a view to forging a common
understanding that will pave way for a smooth and successful
campaign for whoever eventually emerges as the party’s candidate.
It will be a big boost if they are able to come to an agreement
among themselves so that they can save energy and resources to
channel towards the general elections.

Where however they fail to come to an agreement, the Senator
believes that the democratic rights of all of them must be
respected by the party providing a level playing field for all to
participate in a free and fair primaries at which party members
will freely take a decision.

Senator Makarfi wishes all aspirants the best and urges
delegates to freely exercise their rights.

Sigd

Mukhtar Z Sirajo