Jonathan to NASS: Stop off-cycle elections in Nigeria

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has called on the National Assembly to take appropriate legislative measures to stop off-cycle elections in the country.

Jonathan said this after casting his vote at Ward 13, Unit 39 in Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area at the ongoing governorship election in Bayelsa State.

The former president said it was important for Nigeria to unify its electoral calendar.

He stated that the National Assembly should block off-cycle elections, saying they are neither the best for the country nor a globally acceptable practice.

Jonathan said: “Basically this is an off-season election, I get worried about off-season elections and will use this opportunity to plead with the National Assembly to block it.

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“This is not the best practice. The country can elect their people at the same time like the Americans that elect everybody at the same time.

“If we continue with this, there will be a time the Nigerian presidential election will be off-season, and Nigerians would be worried.

“When I say Nigeria presidential election maybe off-season, they may say how and why, but it almost happened in 2007 when I was the running mate to late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

“In that election, seven Justices presided over the case, and three of them said the process be annulled while four of them sustained it.

“If one had crossed over by now the Nigerian election would have been off-season.”

The State