FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has urged Nigeria’s National Assembly (NASS) to pass legislation prohibiting off-season elections.
The ex-Nigerian leader stated this today after voting in the November 11, 2023 governorship election at Ward 13, Polling Unit 39 in Otuoke, Bayelsa State’s Ogbia Local Government Area.
Like Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi, are also holding governorship elections today.
Governorship elections were held earlier in March in 28 of the Federation’s 36 states. However, because of litigations and court judgments, governorship elections in eight states (Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Osun, and Ondo) are held during the off-season.
However, the former president stated that off-cycle votes 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.
An off-season presidential election “almost happened in 2007 when I contested as a running mate with President Umaru Yar’adua,” the ex-governor of Bayelsa State remarked, but it was averted.
