Some political parties have applauded INEC's proposal to stagger the 2011 general elections. INEC, on March 16, released a provisional time table and schedule of activities for the 2011 general elections.
In an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos, the national chairman of the Citizens' Popular Party (CPP), Maxi Okwu, said that staggering the elections would ensure free and fair polls.
"We are the proponents of the staggered elections; and we believe that it will enable stakeholders to concentrate efforts on each category of the elections," he said.
According to Okwu, holding the elections on different days will ensure effective management of the electoral process by INEC. The Lagos State chairman of Alliance for Democracy, Lateef Raji, said: "The idea of staggered elections is good". "It will bring sanity into the electoral process and remove the various confusions that greeted the 2007 elections".
He urged INEC to liaise with the National Assembly to ensure a speedy passage of the electoral reform bill before the elections. "INEC must be at the forefront of the campaign for the reform because of its image that was greatly battered after the 2007 elections," Raji said.
Okey Nwosu, national chairman, African Democratic Congress (ADC), described INEC's schedule as a welcome development, but said INEC should have consulted widely before releasing the timetable.
"It is an indictment on the commission for not involving those who are directly affected by it," he said. The National Action Council (NAC) chairman, Olapade Agoro, suggested that the timetable should be suspended until after the reform.
"Staggered elections are good, but it does not guarantee a free and fair election. If we must get it right, we must insist on the passage of the Electoral Reform Bill," he said.
AD, CPP, others, hail INEC's schedule (http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9393:ad-cpp-others-hail-inecs-schedule-&catid=85:national&Itemid=340)
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