Nov 19,2023.
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On November 11, 2023, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, conducted off-season elections in three states.
Naija247News reports that off-season elections have continued to increase in Nigeria, raising concern among stakeholders.
This began after the Supreme Court sacked Chris Ngige, who contested the 2003 Governorship election in Anambra State under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and declared Peter Obi, then a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, winner of the election.
Currently, Nigeria has about eight off-season governorship elections, including Anambra, Bayelsa, Kogi, Edo, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, and Imo states, with different election timetables.
Imo State fell out of the normal cycle after the Supreme Court sacked Emeka Ihedioha, who was earlier declared winner of the 2019 governorship election in the state.
The apex court on January 14, 2020, ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Ihedioha, a former Speaker of the State Assembly and give a fresh one to Hope Uzodinma, the current governor.
Off-circle elections began in Bayelsa State in 2007 when Timipre Sylva, the governorship candidate of the PDP, was declared the winner of the election.
The election was nullified after his main opponent, Ebitimi Amgbare of the Action Congress of Nigeria, challenged the PDP victory in court.
Amgbare lost at the tribunal and approached the Court of Appeal to challenge the initial ruling. He won at the appellate court as the court ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election in the state in 2008.
In Ondo State, the court had sacked Olusegun Agagu, of the PDP, who sought re-election in 2007 and won. The re-election was, however, challenged in court by Olusegun Mimiko, the then-candidate of the Labour Party.
In 2009, the court held that Mimiko was the actual winner of the polls and was sworn in as the governor in February 2009.
Kogi, Edo, Osun and Ekiti State also fell out of the normal circle following electoral litigations that voided governorship polls conducted during general elections.
Naija247News reports that eight months after the INEC conducted the 2023 general elections, off-season elections were conducted in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa.
According to Atiku Bagudu, Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, about N18 billion was budgeted to conduct the polls in the three states.
Aside from this, there was a humongous amount of money spent on security agencies to ensure the safety of lives and properties during the exercise.
According to a cross-section of Nigerians, some alleged irregularities that reportedly marred the November 11 governorship polls in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi would have been avoided if the polls were conducted during the general elections.
Naija247News recalls that former President Goodluck Jonathan on November 11 called for a stop to the practice of off-season elections in the country.
The former president expressed concern that if the country continued with off-season polls, a time would come when the presidential election might become an off-season election also.(www.naija247news.com)
