Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC), a coalition of the registered political parties in the country, has expressed worry over the change in the sequence of the 2015 general elections, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) time-table indicated.
IPAC said the alteration of the election sequence from the previous three separate days for the election into the two days for the 2015 elections would not favour some political parties’ chances at the elections.
Chairman of IPAC, Dr Yunusa Tanko, disclosed this during an interaction with INEC on “Building Consensus on Electoral activities towards 2015” in Abuja.
He said: “The political parties are worried about the sequence of the election which provide for a two face elections with the presidential and national assembly coming up first and the governorship state assembly coming up next as against the past which has three face elections.
“This provided opportunity for all political parties to have a chance of winning election. In that process, but with the present situation as the timetable released, immediately the presidential election is concluded it will close doors for other elections to be free and fair for all.”
INEC chairman, represented by a national commissioner, Thelma Iremirem, said the early release of the timetable was informed by the need to address the usual shortfalls and fire brigade approaches to any general election in the country.
She said INEC had deemed it timely to organise the discussion about the released 2015 timetable and the Ekiti and Osun elections with registered political parties, with a view to addressing the grey areas.
