Jonathan plans to postpone elections by 6 months – Senator Ojudu

Indications emerged yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, that President Goodluck Jonathan may bring a motion before the National Assembly next week, seeking to postpone this year’s general elections by six months in the first instance.

The bombshell was dropped by Senator Babafemi Ojudu, representing Ekiti Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, during a social discourse entitled: “The Change Yoruba Will Vote For,” organised by the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), at the Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan.

The programme was attended by the wife of former governor of Ekiti State, Erelu Bisi Fayemi; chairman of ARG, Olawale Oshun; and scores of Yoruba elders, with former chairman of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) as the guest lecturer.

Senator Ojudu said: “We are about entering into a very long night in Nigeria. It is a very sad thing that whenever we thought we had made a progress, we take 10 steps backward. This is what is happening now.

“If anybody thinks there is going to be elections on March 28, the person is deceiving himself. All the people that are close to me, especially my friends, I told them a year ago, that there would not be elections and that they were just deceiving us.

“Some of us who are perceptive have seen this in the body language of our colleagues (lawmakers). The body language of the Senate President himself, David Mark. When we came back from the summer recess last year, he said that for him, it was not time for elections. We should not be thinking of elections now; rather, we should be thinking of fighting Boko Haram. The moment we took him up on that, he reversed himself.

“There are conscious attempts at lobbying some of us to work against having elections. Therefore, where they have got to now, is the preliminary stage. We will resume next week Tuesday. I can assure you, they may likely bring a motion asking us to adjourn or postpone the elections for six months because there is an ongoing war. The constitution allows this.

“The constitution states that where and when there is a war in any corner of the country, the president can bring a motion to the National Assembly to postpone the elections for six months in the first instance and this can be passed by just a simple majority.

“If you think at this time they may not get simple majority, you may be wrong. This is because 80 per cent of the senators and House of Representatives members are not returning, not out of choice. Perhaps, I am the only person who is not returning out of choice in the entire National Assembly. All others attempted but they did not make it.”