Critical stakeholders have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the 2027 general election on a single day.
The stakeholders, who bared their minds during a policy dialogue on a single day for all elections in Nigeria, held in Abuja, contended that the practice is in tandem with international best practices.
At the event organised by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy, and Development (ALSD), a don at Nile University, Abuja, Dr. Isoro Izu, argued that conducting general elections over several days is rooted in the country’s general culture of wasting time, energy, resources, manpower, and goodwill.
Izu contended that it is unfortunate that whenever the economy is shut down due to multiple days of election conduct, the country suffers losses, losing trillions of naira in both the organised and private sectors of the economy.
He added that considering the huge amount the INEC spends to conduct one general election plus what Nigerians lose economically, it is safe to say that continuing with the charade is a fool’s paradise.
This, he added, does not even include the non-material, socio-psychological trauma faced by Nigerians as a result of a sustained heated political environment.
“The economics and even politics of having elections over multiple days or weekends are clearly counterproductive. A single day for all elections in Nigeria means that all five elections that hold during Nigeria’s general elections should take place on only one Saturday and not two,” he stressed.
Recalling how Nigeria lost over N3.6 trillion due to the postponement of the 2019 general elections to another weekend at short notice to Nigerians and the international community, the don asserted that it is incumbent on the authorities to take a cue from the United States of America (USA), India, and Brazil in conducting elections on a single day.
To buttress his assertion, he argued, “The United States of America (USA) is generally regarded as the strongest and one of the oldest liberal democracies in the world, with a population of 340 million people, 50 states, 100 senatorial seats, 435 House of Representatives seats, and one President and Vice President. Its landmass is 9.148 million km².
“The US, a federal country like Nigeria, is about nine times bigger than Nigeria in landmass, has a population more than 100 million larger than Nigeria, has more states and representatives than Nigeria, and yet conducts its general elections in a day without declaring a public holiday.
“India, a federal country like Nigeria, is the biggest democracy in the world, with more than 1.47 billion people, a landmass of 3.287 million km², 28 states, eight union territories, and 543 parliamentary seats, yet holds its general elections in one day.
“Brazil, also a federal country, is the biggest democracy in South America, with a population of 216.4 million people, a landmass of 8.51 million km², and 513 parliamentary seats, and 26 states, yet holds its general election in a day.”
Izu argued that conducting elections in a day saves government funds, prevents unnecessary economic losses, stops subtle disenfranchisement via the bandwagon effect, shows national seriousness, curbs waste of time, energy, and manpower, arrests electoral fraud, and prevents undue heating up of the polity.
Izu added that as Nigeria moves steadily towards the 2027 general elections, it is urgent for patriotic Nigerians to begin to think outside the box and take bold, creative actions to avert the mistakes of the past.
“The Nigerian government must be bold enough to take the bull by the horns and think more efficiently, effectively, optimally, cost-effectively, and patriotically. As efficient as the American system is, the government has still created a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). We believe that with these bold steps, we will create a Dispensation of INEC Efficiency (DINE),” he added.
Executive Director of Partners for Electoral Reforms, Mr. Ezenwa Nwagwu, urged caution, noting that the topography and nature of the people in the USA, Brazil, and India cannot be equated with Nigeria.
He noted: “The Indian election is referred to as an unending election because it lasts nearly one month for about 500 parliamentary seats between April and May. There are huge challenges. America is not Nigeria. So the nature and complexity of Nigerian politicians and people are factors we need to take into consideration.
“First, 176,974 polling units are huge, and the nature of the topography of those places matters. In a place like Taraba, from Jalingo, there are locations that take almost seven hours to reach. In Kebbi, there are places where, after your vehicle stops, you use a camel, and after that, a motorcycle to get there. So we’re not the same as the USA. In dealing with these challenges, we need to contextualise our environment.
“Regarding cost and political illiteracy, having five ballot boxes in one day means that ballots will need sorting. In many places, people will mistakenly place the House of Representatives ballot in the governorship box. Nigeria is a place where people are in a hurry for results to come out. If sorting takes too long and results are not announced as quickly as expected, suspicions arise.
“What I’m saying is that there is a need for deeper reflection so that we don’t get excited without taking into account the political environment, the culture of politicians, how they react, and the mindset of the people. At the end of the day, we see elections as a bazaar. For me, if we want to conduct a single-day election, we need a more pragmatic approach rather than just theoretical engagement.”
ALSD Executive Director, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, who acknowledged concerns raised by Nwagwu, remarked that the debate surrounding the conduct of elections on a single day should be sustained by stakeholders in the electoral process.
He noted: “So for us, this is the start of a process. We will appeal to the resource person to convert the presentation into a policy brief, which we will use to engage INEC, political parties, politicians, and stakeholders to further explore the possibility of a single-day election in Nigeria.
“Nigeria has been lucky to have 25 years of uninterrupted democracy. We must all protect it, and the way to do so is by strengthening democracy and ensuring a credible electoral process. We are committed to contributing to that process.”
INEC Director of Operations, Mr Adigun Hakeem, reiterated his commission’s resolve to conduct free, fair, and credible elections.
He added: “At INEC, after every general election, we go back to the drawing board to review the election. For instance, the review report of the last 2023 election has just been completed.
“For all elections—National Assembly, presidency, state assembly, and governorship—all issues that arose during the last election are reviewed so that we can improve future elections.
“We are not sitting idle at all. What we are waiting for is a law from the National Assembly. INEC cannot do it alone; all stakeholders in election matters must come together. By the grace of God, we will submit the report of today’s meeting to the commission.”
