Option A4 as a method of election was adopted in Nigeria by…………administration.

Analyze the question: It asks which administration introduced "Option A4" as a method of election. This is about Nigeria's political history, particularly the transition programme of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Explain the concept: Option A4 was an electoral system created by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida in 1992. Under it, party members vied in a series of primaries, with candidates who won at one level moving on to the next: first local government, then state, then national. It was designed to reduce the influence of money and godfathers in politics.

Some key points:

• It was adopted for the 1992 party primaries of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC).
• Aspirants needed to win at several levels of party primaries (a system sometimes described as "A4" because it was a modified version of earlier option systems).
• It was cancelled when the primaries ran into allegations of fraud and irregularities, and the government then introduced the open ballot system (Option A4) for the 1993 presidential election. The mix-up between these steps is common, but both belong to the Babangida transition programme.

Note: the "Option A4" name is generally used for the system adopted in 1992-93, and it was a Babangida-era creation.

Eliminate the other options:

• Buhari (1983-85): His government did not run a transition programme; it was overthrown by Babangida.
• Murtala Muhammed (1975-76): He began the transition to the Second Republic but was assassinated in 1976. No Option A4.
• Obasanjo (1976-79): Handed over to civilians in 1979 using a regular secret ballot, with no Option A4.
• Abacha (1993-98): His transition programme created five parties and was widely seen as a sham to prolong his rule; it did not use Option A4.

Answer: The Option A4 method was adopted by the Ibrahim Babangida administration, which is option A.

Exam tip: Link "Babangida" with "transition programme" and "Option A4", "MAP/open ballot", "SDP and NRC", and the annulled June 12, 1993 election. Whenever you see those terms together in a question, think Babangida.