Senator Adeniyi Adegbomire, representing Ondo Central, has expressed a strong stance in support of off-season elections, asserting that they strengthen Nigerian democracy and ensure that the will of the people prevails. 

He emphasized that any system where leadership is imposed without the mandate of the people is on a path to destruction.

Speaking in Akure on Monday, Adegbomire, a member of the All Progressives Congress, explained that off-season elections are a consequence of legal interpretations and that the National Assembly is unlikely to pass a law prohibiting them, as they contribute to a more robust democratic process.

“It is a constitutional matter and the Supreme Court has been clear about it. The constitution says you shall be sworn in for a term of four years. That four years start from the day you were sworn in as a governor or president.

“The Electoral Act says you must have two-thirds of Local Governments’ majority votes but the constitution doesn’t stipulate that. So, there a criteria for winning an election and there are other criteria for tenure. The tenure is in the constitution. Technically, it means that the man who occupied the seat before he was thrown out was not duly elected and was technically, never a governor.

“However, the constitution and the Electoral Act recognise that while he is still in the office, even if he’s removed at the tribunal, so there won’t be lacuna, he will continue to be governor, until the final decision.”

“But he was never a governor, according to the law, why should someone who should have been the governor govern for only the remaining years? So, it is a constitutional matter. For, we will always have off-season elections,” he said.

Addressing the litigation issue, Adegbomire stressed the need to shorten the time between party primaries and elections to allow for more time to resolve disputes arising from primaries before the main election. He suggested abridging the time frame from six months to a shorter period.

In response to former president Goodluck Jonathan’s call to end off-season elections, Adegbomire reiterated his belief in their positive impact on democracy. 

He acknowledged Jonathan’s concern about potential disruptions to the presidential election cycle but emphasized that off-season elections allow the voices of the people to be heard and their choices to be respected.