Posted by From JAMES OJO, Abuja on
Contrary to assurances given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the ballot papers for the presidential elections, holding nationwide tomorrow, would carry the photographs of all the candidates that are contesting the elections, it has been revealed that only the party logos would be on the ballot papers.
Contrary to assurances given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the ballot papers for the presidential elections, holding nationwide tomorrow, would carry the photographs of all the candidates that are contesting the elections, it has been revealed that only the party logos would be on the ballot papers.
Confirming this development 24 hours to the polls, INEC commissioner in charge of monitoring the political parties, Dr. Ishmail Igbani in a telephone chat said that there was no way the ballot papers could carry the photographs of the presidential candidates.
'When we were preparing for the elections, we have what we referred to as Plan B. Our plan B as for ballot papers is to use party logos in place of photographs of candidates as we promised earlier. The death of Alliance for Democracy, (AD) presidential candidate Chief Adebayo Adefarati made us to fall back on Plan B, which was to use party logos instead of photographs," he said.
Dr. Igbani added that it was this reason that made the commission not to worry when the Supreme Court ruled that the name of AC presidential candidate, Vice President Atiku Abubakar be put on the ballot paper.
Practically, he said that there was no way the commission would meet up in printing of fresh ballot papers with the photographs of the presidential candidates in view of the closeness of the time of voting and the judgment of the Supreme Court.
The INEC Commissioner said that only when the commission's headquarters in Abuja received all the results from the states of the federation that the results of the presidential elections would be released.