Former President Goodluck Jonathan pleases with the National Assembly (NASS) to pass legislation prohibiting off-season elections in Nigeria.
The ex-President Made this know today after voting 2023 governorship election in Ward 13, Polling Unit 39, in Otuoke, Bayelsa State’s Ogbia Local Government Area.
Imo and Kogi, like Bayelsa, hold governorship elections on Saturday.
Earlier in March, governorship elections were held in 28 out of the 36 states of the Federation. This was so because the governorship elections of eight states (Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun, and Ondo) were held off-season due to litigations and court judgments.
However, Jonathan, who was Nigeria’s President between February 2010 and May 2015, said off-cycle polls should be struck out and harmonized with the general elections.
According to Jonathan, with the way things are going in Nigeria, the presidential election might become off-season.
The ex-governor of Bayelsa State said an off-season presidential poll “almost happened in 2007 when I contested as a running mate with President Umaru Yar’adua” but it was prevented.
He said, “I get worried by the issue of off-season elections. And I use this opportunity to plead with the National Assembly that we need to block these off-season elections. It is very odd; it is not a global best practice.
“If we continue with this trend of off-season elections based on the interpretation of our laws by the judicial officers, it will come to a time when the presidential election will be off-season.
“Look at the American system, everybody knows when the American election will be conducted.”
Morenikeji Adedayo is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
