The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) on Monday supported the Labour Party (LP) in its call on INEC to use ‘Option A4’ in future elections.
The groups in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said that option A4 was preferable to the modified open ballot system currently in use.
NAN reports that LP through its National Chairman, Mr Dan Nwanyanwu, had on Sept. 3 urged INEC to adopt option A4 to ensure free and fair governorship election in Anambra.
The election has been scheduled to hold on Nov. 16.
The Publicity Secretary, Lagos State Chapter of CNPP, Rev. Austin Nnorom, called on INEC to use option A4, saying it was a choice that had been `tested and trusted’ by the electorate.
“We are not only advocating it for this upcoming election but we are advocating it for subsequent elections.
“It is an option we have seen that has been used that has glaringly shown that we could have free and fair election.
“So the use of Option A4 without doubt will allow Nigerians to see a free and fair election in Nigeria; we have used it before and it has worked,” Nnorom stated.
“The National Chairman of IPAC, Dr Yunusa Tanko, while backing the call, agreed that option A4 was one of the most transparent ways of conducting elections in a democratic setting.
“The option A4 is one of the most transparent ways of conducting election; we have seen it before and it has worked for us very well, the people can be easily identified and the voting can easily be counted and even the people can easily see it.
“It is one of the simplest and most clear cut forms of election, there is no doubt about it,” he said.
However, Dr Adekunle Ogunmola, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC, Lagos State, told NAN that INEC did not plan the use of option A4 in the upcoming Anambra governorship polls.
“I do not think the commission has given thought to that at all; it is just the modified open ballot system that we used during last election that will also be used,” Ogunmola said.
