INEC: Securing highest number of votes not enough to win guber poll

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says a
governorship candidate may not be declared winner despite getting
the highest number of votes in a state.

In a circular published on its
website^[1], which
carries INEC’s “regulations and guidelines for the conduct of the
2019 elections,” the commission stated that for a governorship
candidate to be declared winner, he/she must emerge winner in at
least one-quarter of total votes cast in two-thirds of all the
local government areas in the state.

On page 24 of the 33-page document, the electoral body states
that the collation/returning officer for a state can only return as
winner, any governorship candidate who “(i) has the majority of
votes cast at the election; (and) (ii) has not less than one
quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least
two-thirds of all the LGAs in the state.”

It adds that “where no candidate meets the requirements of the
majority of votes cast and the electoral two-thirds, as provided in
41b (i) and (ii) above, a run-off election will be organised by the
commission within 21 days in line with the provisions of Section
179 (2) to (5) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.”

Meanwhile, accreditation and voting have begun in some states in
the ongoing governorship and houses of assembly elections.