The Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) has announced that Anambra will become the first state in Nigeria to implement the “Yes or No” ballot system for unopposed candidates in a local government election.
The commission described the system as a landmark electoral innovation provided for by law.
The Commissioner in charge of Information at ANSIEC, Chief Tony Chinedu, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press conference at the commission’s headquarters in Awka, as preparations intensified for Saturday’s local government election across the state’s 21 Local Government Areas and 327 electoral wards.
Chinedu said the commission had completed key pre-election activities, including the recruitment and training of ad-hoc personnel, while the distribution of non-sensitive election materials had commenced ahead of the poll.
He disclosed that only two political parties, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Young Progressives Party (YPP), submitted candidates in line with the commission’s electoral timetable.
According to him, a total of 22 mayoral candidates and 346 councillorship candidates will contest the election.
“Following our electoral timetable, political parties were directed to conduct their primaries and submit candidates. Only APGA and YPP complied by indicating interest and fielding candidates,” he said.
Chinedu devoted considerable attention to explaining what he described as the most distinctive feature of the election — the use of “Yes or No” ballots for candidates who emerged unopposed during party primaries.
He clarified that emerging unopposed in a party primary does not automatically guarantee victory at the election.
“The public notion is that when someone emerges unopposed during a party primary, it translates into automatic victory. That is not what the law says.
“The law says that where only one candidate qualifies for an election, the ballot paper will no longer display multiple political parties but instead ask voters to either approve or reject the sole candidate through a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote.
“The party has the responsibility of producing its candidate through its primary, but the electorate has the constitutional right to decide whether that candidate is acceptable. That is why the law provides for a ‘Yes or No’ ballot,” Chinedu explained.
He further outlined the legal threshold a sole candidate must meet to be declared elected.
According to him, the candidate must secure more “Yes” votes than “No” votes and obtain at least a two-thirds majority in at least two-thirds of the affected electoral area.
He added that where “No” votes prevail, the election would be declared inconclusive, requiring the affected political party to conduct another primary to produce a fresh candidate.
“What it means is that the people have rejected the person nominated by the political party, and another primary will have to be conducted,” he said.
Chinedu described the exercise as a historic milestone, noting that Anambra would be the first state in Nigeria to implement the provision in practice.
The commissioner said ANSIEC had concluded the recruitment and screening of ad-hoc personnel after publicly advertising the positions.
He explained that successful applicants underwent screening before being selected for election duties.
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Training of the ad-hoc personnel began on August 18 across the state’s senatorial zones, he said.
He added that the commission was currently conducting specialised training for Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs) and collation officers because of the unique procedures involved in administering the “Yes or No” ballot.
“We want them to understand the peculiarities of this election so that every vote is properly handled in accordance with the law,” he said.
Chinedu announced that the distribution of non-sensitive election materials commenced on Wednesday, while sensitive materials would be distributed on election day under tighter security arrangements.
He assured residents that logistics had been carefully planned to ensure smooth deployment across the 21 local government areas.
Responding to questions about a court action reportedly filed by some councillors seeking to halt the election, Chinedu confirmed that ANSIEC had been joined in the suit.
He, however, maintained that the litigation would not prevent Saturday’s election from proceeding.
The ANSIEC official also dismissed suggestions that holding an election with only two political parties was a waste of public funds.
According to him, elections are constitutional obligations that must be conducted regardless of the number of contestants.
“Election is a matter of law. Whether there is one candidate or many candidates, the election must be conducted,” he said.
Addressing concerns over perceived voter apathy, Chinedu rejected claims that Anambra residents had lost confidence in ANSIEC’s ability to conduct credible elections.
Instead, he argued that political participation in the state had generally been low and should not be interpreted as an organised boycott.
He urged eligible voters to take advantage of the opportunity to determine who governs at the grassroots.
“The power to enthrone leadership resides with the people. Power is not given; it is taken,” he declared.
He cited the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the national level after defeating the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as APGA’s takeover of political power in Anambra from the PDP in 2006.
Chinedu urged voters across the state’s 327 wards to turn out peacefully on Saturday and participate actively in determining the future of their local councils.
