The call for the scrapping of off-cycle elections by former president, Goodluck Jonathan seems to be receiving support, the latest being from the minority leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kingsley Chinda.
Reacting to Jonathan’s position while speaking with with members of National Assembly (NASS) New Media Forum, Hon. Chinda said he agrees with the position of the former president. At the end of every four years, fresh elections should be conducted for all.
He said the laws that affect members of the parliament should also affect those on the side of the executive.
He said, “I agree with Jonathan that there is a need for us to look inward. Let us completely scrap off-cycle elections. It is a four-year tenure.
“At the end of the four years, we go back for fresh elections, whether you have stayed in office for one day or not.”
According to Chinda, even before the former president would state his position, the House was already working on a bill to fix the problems.
“There is already a bill that we’re processing to unify the electoral system. So I agree with former President Goodluck Jonathan. Even before he made that pronouncement, we were already crafting a bill.
“The off-cycle election has not been helpful, if you look at it critically. If care is not taken, we may have a situation where we begin to plan for elections almost all year round. If we continue that way, Nigeria will continue to be in election in the four years, because we expect that we will have more off-cycle elections as elections are being nullified by the judiciary.”
Former president Jonathan offer casting his voter during the just concluded Bayelsa governorship elections called for the scrapping of off-cycle elections.
Hon. Chinda’s comment on African democracy
Mr. Chinda, in a separate reaction to statement created to former president Obasanjo where he said democracy is not working in Africa end that despite the challenges face, he holds the view that the worst for of democracy is better than the best military administration.
He said, “I believe, and I still say so, until I have a stronger reason to change my opinion, that the worst democracy is better than the best military government.
“All we need to do is to continue to improve on what we are doing. And if you look at our democracy many years back, and what we have now, it is better than what we used to have. There is no doubt about that.
“There are so many factors working against our democracy. The level of illiteracy is still high and hunger is still high. Take care of these two problems and see whether there wont be an improvement.
“Let people be more educated, more enlightened, and more informed and reduce hunger to a bearable minimum, where people will sell their votes N5,000 or N10,000.
“It will get to that stage where we begin to understand that democracy is the best. I must also say democracy must not be Western democracy. We can Nigerianise democracy and make it work for us by applying what is best for us in the circumstance.
“But, the people should decide who should lead, who should speak for them and who should serve them. However you look at it, democracy is best for us for now,” Chinda said.
