Admin l Wednesday, April 20, 2022
LAGOS, Nigeria – A legal practitioner, Barrister Temitope Omotayo has expressed reservation over the suggestion made by legal luminary, Aare Afe Babalola that the 2023 general elections should be suspended.
Aare Babalola had on Monday this week during a press conference in Ado-Ekiti suggested that the elections should be suspended and called for an interim government.
Reacting to the issue, Barrister Omotayo described Aare Babalola as an Elder state man and a very respected legal icon in the country who has right to express his opinion on topical issues.
Barrister Omotayo who is also a Public Affairs Analyst however pointed out that the opinion expressed by Aare Babalola, calling for the suspension of the 2023 general elections and making use of interim government is not based on the constitution because running the affairs of the country is determined by the constitution.
According to him, section 1(2) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) states that Nigeria will only be governed in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.
“There is no way to bring such means to govern Nigeria for six months, because it is not in any provision, the only time that can work is when it is impracticable to conduct elections which during war time, as it is written in section 64 (4) of the constitution’.
He opined that adopting interim government could bring chaos to the Nation as it happened during Earnest Shonekan’s regime.
Barrister Temitope Omotayo therefore suggested that the report of the 2014 conference conducted by former President Goodluck Jonathan should be submitted to the National Assembly for proper action and that the provisions of the report should be implemented as a way of finding solution to the mirage of problems facing the country.
