The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it would print concurrently, ballot papers for the presidential election and those for a re-run exercise ahead of the 2023 election in case the situation arises.

The electoral body said the practice had been in existence since 1999 without public knowledge but was revealed for the first time in line with the open policy of the INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu. Speaking during a round table with media heads organizations in Abuja yesterday, INEC national commissioner and chairman of the information and voter education committee, Festus Okoye, said the commission was mandated to conduct a re-run election by law. Okoye explained that the printing of the 93 million ballot papers according to the number of registered voters, each for the main presidential and re-run elections was to save the country’s constitutional crisis as it would be difficult to print the materials within the 21 days granted by the constitution. He said the commission was mandated to conduct a re-run election for the presidency if no candidate emerges in the first ballot as required by Section 34(2) of the constitution among two leading candidates as defined by law.

Ada Peter