| dc.description.abstract | It is imperative to underscore the fact that the recurring issue of inconclusive election is becoming frequent and ubiquitous in the conduct of elections in Nigeria and, a formidable challenge in Nigeria’s electoral system, this therefore lends this subject as particularly fertile for exploration, within the context of the programme. The significance of the study is exemplified in the fact that the administration of elections remains a vital component of democracy and public trust in EMBs is often a reflection of how well organised (or not) the electoral process has become over the years. The integrity of the electoral process, in many African States, is a major concern for both international and domestic election observers alike. Therefore, this study on inconclusive elections will be of immense benefit to policy makers, civil society organisations and other critical stakeholders in the electoral process. The overriding significance of this study is to add to the growing literature on inconclusive election and its implication on the integrity of the electoral process and democratic governance. This study will help in no small measure to improve the quality of elections in the polity.
This study relied largely on the secondary sources of data collection. These include textbooks, articles, newspapers and other published and unpublished materials such as electoral laws, electoral precedence as well as relevant interviews where absolutely necessary. It involves the use of descriptive, prose and narrative methods in describing scenarios and events through the prism of scientific observation. It is the systematic and analytical description of events and situations, data and records, trends and histories, occurrences and application of extant laws to similar situations in different environments. It is the methodical presentation of facts and figures without prejudices and prevarications. It is the presentation of established facts, coming up with new ideas, fresh methods of analysis and on this basis draw conclusions and make far-reaching recommendations that can stand the test of time.
This study discovered that inconclusive election leads to voter apathy and increases the financial burden on INEC. Another discovery is that without the supplementary elections, the election in Osun in 2018 had been won and lost at the first ballot. The margin of votes had been applied differently by INEC to similar electoral situations in the country. Inconclusive election was discovered to have deleterious implications on the integrity of elections, electoral process as well as the credibility of INEC as an institution. The study also discovered contradictions in electoral laws as it relates to margin of votes in inconclusive election.
This study recommended amongst other things that the idea of inconclusive election based on margin of votes should be done away with completely. It contradicts the electoral system that is operational in the country which is First –Past- The- Post (FPTP), predicated on simple majority and geographical spread. Secondly it recommended that the government should endeavour to fully implement the report of Justice Mohammed Uwais Electoral Report Committee. This will enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be truly independent. This will enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be truly independent in terms of appointments and financial autonomy, to this end, it will be able to conduct free, fair and credible elections. Also, the margin of win or votes or lead as the case may is a fraudulent because it is predicated on the entire number of voters registered in any particularly polling booth, and not on the actual numbers of voters accredited to vote on Election Day. On the day of election, not every voter come out to cast their ballot, in fact, not every accredited voters eventually vote, in actual sense, not all registered voters are eligible to vote because not all of them have collected their PVC’s. Therefore the margin of vote is a needless electoral exercise that ought to the promptly discarded.
These are some of the ways to block the loopholes in the electoral process and work assiduously towards a free, fair and credible election. | en_US |
