It is a fact that the Nigerian terrain is currently tittering on edges because of the elections.
There is plenty of uncertainty and confusion in the air.
While we advise that people be calm and not ventilate unconfirmed information that can aggravate the polity, it is also wise to help the polity stay calm by giving you some relevant information.
So here are some facts about the elections that have been misrepresented in recent days.
- The winner of the presidential elections must have 25% of votes in 2/3 of the country, plus Abuja.
Now to understand this, you must know that ordinarily, the FCT is not treated as a state. It is the seat of power.
So if the electoral act had been silent on Abuja, it would have left the election requirements of Abuja unstated. Hence Abuja was mentioned.
I must also tell you that every law in Nigeria, no matter who made it or what it says, is only valid as long as it does not contradict the constitution. Once it contradicts the constitution, it is automatically inapplicable. The constitution of a country is called the Grund Num.
Furthermore, any law made in Nigeria must be read along with whatever the constitution has to say about that situation.
Now, what does the 1999 constitution have to say about the status of the FCT?
It says in Section 299 that for administrative purposes, the FCT shall be treated as a state and its officers shall have the powers of state officers over it.
What does this mean for the Electoral Act?
It means most of the powers that states have, the FCT also has. It means the FCT will be considered a state in relation to it along with other states.
It means the winner of the presidential elections must have 25% of votes in 24 states and Abuja, making 25 states.
Let me say that again. It does not mean the winner must have 25% of 37 states. It says he must have 25% of 36 states plus Abuja.
This means that the winner need not win Abuja, as long as he wins in 25 states.
Did you get that? Please read again for understanding.
Now if there are irregularities during an election, the powers of the election chairman are very limited as to what can be done.
He can cancel the elections under certain circumstances. He can order a rerun if certain conditions have not been met. But if those conditions are not the case, he cannot order a rerun. Only a court of competent jurisdiction can do that.
He also has discretionary powers on how to make the elections work. If we do not like how he exercised his discretionary powers, our recourse is also to the courts.
Now in these days of abundant data from across the country, in these days of electronic data, the process of seeking redress is more trustworthy as the matters of election petition in courts as somewhat a function of statistical data.
The outcome of the courts is more predictable than the outcome of mayhem.
In any case. You can use the season to improve yourself through training and courses while you take it easy and watch the tide. There are free ones and there are paid ones to improve you and improve your business profitability.
If you would like to understand the basics of how to start doing business on the Internet, send a message to bimpe@adebimpeshowunmi.com.
I will be glad to hear from you.