Tony Dania, a well-known human rights activist and legal expert, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use the Option A4 voting system in the upcoming Edo State Governorship election on September 21st, during an interview with The Sun.
Dania believes that this system, also known as the open ballot system, would ensure a fair and transparent election.
Option A4 was first introduced during the administration of former military president Ibrahim Babangida.
It gained fame for being used in the 1993 election, which is often cited as the fairest election in Nigeria’s history.
Under this system, voters openly queue behind the picture of their preferred candidate.
Dania argues that bringing back this method would not only guarantee credibility in the electoral process but also reduce the high costs associated with conducting elections.
He highlighted that this system was effective in the past and could restore confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
As the Edo State election approaches, Dania expressed his readiness to support any candidate he believes is best for the state.
He mentioned his active involvement in past elections, where he campaigned for candidates using his own resources.
“For this Edo State election, I will support any candidate I feel is best for my state. And I might decide to participate in party activities just because of the candidate I support. For instance, when ex-President Buhari contested in 2015, like many Nigerians, we all thought it was the messiah, and we supported him. For me, I did not only support him, but I also used my own money to campaign and mobilise votes for him. Nobody gave me anything.”
“Godwin Obaseki was another politician who enjoyed that kind of support when he contested for the Edo governorship election in 2016. Senator Adams Oshiomhole, the outgoing governor at that time, supported him to become governor. During the campaign, Oshiomhole told Edo people that Obaseki’s opponent, Pastor Ize Iyamu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was the devil and that we shouldn’t vote for him.”
“But in the 2020 election, after Oshiomhole fell out with Obaseki; he came back again to tell us that the same Pastor Iyamu, is now a saint and a better option than Obaseki, whom he had sold to us. It was at that point that Edo people said ‘No! you don’t control us and then went ahead to vote for Obaseki for the second term. At that election, I didn’t only vote for Obaseki, I also campaigned for him at my expense,” he said….Vìêw–Morê