2019: Real reason we’re changing election timetable – Senator Olujimi

Senator representing Ekiti South and Deputy Minority Whip of the Senate, Abiodun Olujimi, has said that the reordering of the election process is not targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari.

Senator Olujimi also provided real reason the lawmakers embarked on the process.

She said the reordering became imperative due to the manner politicians jumped ship after presidential elections.

Speaking with Vanguard at the weekend, Mrs. Olujimi, said, “How will you use a legislation to target one person?

“What about tomorrow? For those saying it is targeted at the president, I think it is the figment of their own imagination and unless they know something that we don’t know.

“If you will remember, that was the order for which elections were held in the past. It is nothing new. We are just following the old order.

“When we had that, people were not jumping ship anyhow because the minute the National Assembly elections were done, there was nothing else anyone who failed there could jump to.

“You couldn’t jump to go and become Assembly member, governor or President because those were sealed and we thought it will bring sanity back into the system whereby people won’t be jumping ship.

“What you found is that the minute the president was elected, because people believe it will be bandwagon, people were always willing to just start moving from one party to the other and they disrupted the entire political landscape.

“So, the new thinking was if we do it that way, it will put paid to jumping ship. Everybody will remain in his or her party and work for the election of the president.

“That way, it makes sense and the political parties will be stronger for it. So, what is wrong in it?

“Except those against it are saying the president cannot win if his election does not come first or other members of the party will not win if the president does not win.

“If that is what they are saying, then it will make sense. Other than that, it doesn’t make sense at all. And you couldn’t make a law to target one person, what about tomorrow?”