<h4>By Rotimi Ojomoyela
Ado-Ekiti</h4>
Ekiti State Governor, Chief Ayodele Fayose, has explained that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) decided to adopt Option A4 in the selection of candidates for the coming local government election to allow transparency in the process.
Fayose, who explained ahead of the commencement of the exercise, said that the system would also give room for the most popular candidates to be elected.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, on Wednesday, the governor was quoted as saying that Option A4 would also help reduce acrimony as whoever loses would know he lost in a free and fair process.
“We want a transparent process to select our candidates and we don’t want to have serious issues as fallout of the exercise. If a person loses and sees that there was a level playing field, his complaints and grievances would be minimal.
“To ensure fairness in accreditation of those to vote, you have to come with your party membership card and voter card. Apart from that, party executive in each ward as well as aspirants are at the gate to identify voters before they come in. Any situation those people cannot identify a voter as being a member of their wards, such a person is not allowed in,” he said.
Option A4 is an electoral system made popular during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida where voters openly queued behind their preferred candidates.
On the decision by the opposition All Progressives Congress to take part in the December 23, 2017 poll, Fayose said it was welcomed, though he added that the party was up to some mischief.
He gave the assurance that the main poll would also be free and fair noting that already, councillors and chairmanship aspirants from Ado, Ikere, Irepodun/Ifelodun and Ekiti South-West local government areas were attended to.
Meanwhile, only seven out of the 13 wards in Ado Local Government were concluded, while all the seven chairmanship aspirants from the LG were disqualified.
A statement by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Mr Jackson Adebayo, said they were disqualified for gross misconduct.
The party said those interested in contesting should collect the nomination form before Friday and pay the mandatory fees. He added that a date for the primary would be communicated to them.
