A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Osita Chidoka, has declared that the Nigerian Constitution and other electoral regulations should be altered to make any presidential candidate who does not receive more than 50% of total votes cast in an election ineligible for office.
While speaking on Sunrise Daily, Channels TV, the former minister proposed runoff elections for presidential elections if no contender received more than 50% of the vote.
“said, “Look at the reactions of Nigerians to the war in Niger. If you look at the reaction of fuel subsidy. If the people of Nigeria have confidence that this government has mass legitimacy, which brings me to a point, I think we need to amend our laws to make it that any presidential candidate who doesn’t make 50 plus 1 of the votes cast in an election should go for a runoff because election of a President as 33% of the votes keeps the President in serious minority that makes him difficult to push big agenda.”
The PDP stalwart said he is in favour of eliminating the fuel subsidy and floating the naira, but only if the policies are designed to prevent “serious negative externalities,” such as rising food and petrol prices.
The former minister added that the President should have waited to make the two important decisions he did without first forming his cabinet and consulting with them.
However, he noted that the President’s 45 present ministry nominees do not inspire confidence.
“If he (Tinubu) had had a cabinet. Sadly, the cabinet I see today does not inspire confidence. I don’t even know whether this cabinet will be able to advise him better than the decisions he had taken,” he said.
