Former President Goodluck Jonathan has urged the National Assembly to stop off-season elections in the country.
Jonathan said the irregularities in voting during governorship election, if not checked, will eventually affect the presidential election.
The former president made this known while speaking to journalist after casting his ballot at Polling Unit 39, Ward 13, Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, on Saturday.
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He said, “First, let me congratulate all the three states that have elections today – Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi… basically, because this is an off-cycle election, I get worried about the issue of off-season election and I will use this as a unique opportunity to plead with the National Assembly that we need to block this off-season election; it’s very odd, it’s not a global best practice.”
“A country can elect their people at different times like America, they may not elect at the same time but every time they go on to do elections, they elect everybody that is meant to be elected. If we continue with this trend of off-season elections based on the interpretation of our laws, it will come to a time when the Presidential election will be off-season probably that’s the time that a lot of media people should be worried.”
Speaking further Jonathan said, “Look at the American system, everybody knows when the American elections will be conducted, that’s the standard practice of other countries. When I say Nigerian Presidential election may be off season someday, some people will say how? why? It almost happened in 2007 when I contested as a running mate to President Yar’Adua.
“You know that election, the seven justices that presided over the case, three of them, in their own judgment, said that the election be annulled, four of them sustained and that is why we stayed, if one had crossed over, by now the presidential election will be off-season and it is not the best for a country.
“These 7 states with off-season elections can be migrated back to fall in line with the other states. The National Assembly can do that, that is my message for the National Assembly and for Nigerians today.”