Former President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed concerns over the trend of off-cycle elections in Nigeria, stating that it may negatively affect presidential polls in the country. He described the trend as unusual and urged the National Assembly to pass a law that prohibits off-season elections. Jonathan, who was Nigeria’s President between February 2010 and May 2015, made this call after casting his vote in the governorship poll at Ward 13, Polling Unit 39, at Otuoke in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.He recommended that off-cycle polls should be removed and synchronized with the general elections. Jonathan, who is also a leader of international election observers in other countries, noted that with the way things are going in Nigeria, the presidential election might become off-season. According to him, “Off-session election almost happened in 2007 when I contested as a running mate with President Umaru Yar’adua but it was prevented.I am concerned about the issue of off-season elections, and I take this opportunity to plead with the National Assembly that we need to block these off-season elections. It is very unusual and 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.”
Lagos Reporters reports that 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.
