News
CSOs advocates for single-day general election in Nigeria
As Nigeria moves toward the 2027 general electio, a coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has advocated for the adoption of a single-day general election rather than the current staggered elections spread across two weekends.
A single-day election would mean that all five elections—House of Assembly, Gubernatorial, House of Representatives, Senatorial, and Presidential—are conducted on the same Saturday rather than over multiple days.
The recommendation was made on Friday during a one-day policy dialogue on the feasibility of a single-day election in 2027, organized by the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy, and Development (Centre LSD) in Abuja.
According to the coalition, Nigeria’s current election system is costly and inefficient, leading to waste.
Citing examples from the United States, India, and Brazil, Nile University Lecturer, Dr. Iroro Izu argued that even countries with larger populations and land masses successfully conduct elections in a single day.
“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, 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 over 100 million more people, and has more states and representatives, yet it conducts its general elections in a single day without declaring a public holiday.
“India, the world’s largest democracy, has over 1.47 billion people, a landmass of 3.287 million km², 28 states, eight union territories, and 543 parliamentary seats, yet it holds its general elections in a single day.
“Brazil, another federal country, is the largest democracy in South America, with a population of 216.4 million and a landmass of 8.51 million km²,” he stated.
Dr. Izu also expressed concern over the economic impact of Nigeria’s multi-day election system, arguing that shutting down the country for elections results in significant financial losses.
According to him, “Whenever the economy is shut down for multiple election days, the country bleeds, losing billions of dollars. This is just in the organized private sector; the informal sector is even larger, and the consequential effects are enormous.
“Considering how much INEC spends to conduct elections, plus the economic losses suffered by Nigerians, it is safe to say that continuing this approach is unsustainable. This is not to mention the socio-psychological stress of prolonged political tension.
“The economics and politics of multi-day elections are clearly counterproductive.”
Dr. Izu recommended creating more polling units, deploying well-trained personnel, prioritizing the recruitment of political science and statistics graduates as election workers, and leveraging advanced technology. He also advocated for the integration of electronic and diaspora voting, involving credible election-focused CSOs in election management, and implementing INEC reforms to reduce election days to a single day.
However, not all stakeholders agreed that Nigeria is currently equipped to handle single-day elections.
The Executive Director of Partners for Electoral Reforms, Ezenwa Nwagwu, cautioned that Nigeria’s unique challenges must be considered before adopting the system.
“There are huge challenges. America is not Nigeria. The complexity of our political landscape and the behavior of our politicians and voters must be considered.
“We have 176,974 polling units, many of which are in difficult-to-reach locations. In Taraba, some places require a seven-hour journey from Jalingo. In Kebbi, you may need to switch from a vehicle to a camel and then to a motorcycle to access certain areas. Our terrain is not the same as the USA’s, so we must contextualize our approach.
“We must also consider issues like political illiteracy and voter errors. With five ballots on the same day, people may mistakenly place the House of Representatives ballot in the governorship box. In a country where people expect quick results, the lengthy sorting process could lead to unrest.”
The Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy, and Development, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, agreed that single-day elections have advantages.
“When we planned this discussion, I expected a debate with both ‘for’ and ‘against’ arguments. However, Dr. Iroro’s presentation clearly highlighted the benefits of a single-day election, and the majority here agree.
“We will ask the resource person to convert this presentation into a policy brief to engage INEC, political parties, and stakeholders to further explore the possibility of single-day elections in Nigeria.
“Nigeria has enjoyed 25 years of uninterrupted democracy, and we must protect it. One way to do so is by strengthening our electoral process to ensure credibility. We are committed to contributing to that process.”
A representative of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Director of Operations, Adigun Hakeem, stated that INEC operates based on electoral laws and guidelines set by the National Assembly.
“INEC, as a governing body, cannot take a position on this issue for now. Our primary responsibility is to conduct free, fair, and credible elections.
“All election activities and guidelines are determined by the National Assembly. Our role here is to listen to stakeholders and consider their advocacy. Any recommendations from this meeting will be submitted to the commission for review,” he stated.
News
Reports of Justice Agim accompanying Wike to UNICAL convocation false, misleading Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has denied that one of its justices, Justice Emmanuel Agim accompanies the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to the convocation at the University of Calabar in the South South Nigeria.
The denial came amid suspicion that Justice Agim who wrote a judgment of the Supreme Court in favour of the 27 lawmakers in Rivers State is close to Wike, hence, his presence around Wike has triggered speculations.
Wike is the former governor of Rivers State and a current of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) who controls lawmakers in Rivers.
In a statement issued on Monday by the Supreme Court’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Festus Akande, he refuted the claims, saying Agim attended the event on his own.
The statement described the rumour as misleading, insisting that Justice Agim attended the event as a honoree, urging Nigerians to disregard the social media lies.
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“Hon. Justice Agim attended the convocation as an esteemed honouree and an alumnus of the institution, who the Governing Council had found worthy to be conferred with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Law (Doctor Honoris Causa),” the statement read.
“That Justice Agim was recognized for his significant contributions to the legal profession, which reflect his dedication to justice, integrity, and the rule of law.
Naija News reports that the statement highlighted that Justice Agim’s achievements serve as an inspiration for aspiring legal professionals and students alike.
The statement also addressed the claim that Justice Agim had attended the convocation ceremony in the company of Nyesom Wike.
It stressed that this was a false narrative, stating that Justice Agim’s attendance was independent of any government ministry or department and that he was not accompanying any government official.
“Any insinuation to the contrary is not only inaccurate but undermines the judicial independence that is crucial to our democracy,” the Supreme Court emphasized.
Additionally, the statement noted that Justice Agim had been scheduled to attend the burial ceremony of Hon. Justice Stanley Alagoa in Bayelsa State but had sought permission to attend the convocation ceremony instead.
In conclusion, the Supreme Court urged the media and the public to verify information through credible sources before dissemination.
“We encourage the public and media to verify information through credible sources before sharing or publishing to prevent the spread of misinformation,” the statement concluded.
News
State of Emergency in Rivers: $5,000 shared to Reps as ‘Sallah gesture,’ not bribe – Hon. Betara
Member representing Biu/Bayo/Shania/Kwaya/Kusar Federal Constituency of Borno State, Hon. Mukhtar Aliyu Betara has disclosed that he shared $5,000 with members of his committee as a “Sallah gesture”.
Betara who is the Reps Committee Chairman on FCT said the money was not a bribe to pass resolution declaring a state of emergency in Rivers as being insinuated.
The was posted by a Nigerian investigative journalist, Jaafar Jaafar on his X handle.
Jaafar said Betara explained this to him after the lawmaker reached out to clarify that the $5,000 given to lawmakers was merely a “Sallah gesture” and not an inducement.
He quoted Batara to have said the gesture was a long standing g tradition and has nothing to do with the state of emergency I Rivers.
Jaafar wrote:
“The chairman of the House Committee on FCT, Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, has clarified to me that he only shared $5,000 with each member of his committee as a ‘Sallah gesture,’ not as an inducement to support emergency rule in Rivers State.
“According to him, he maintains the tradition—like Santa Claus—every year.
“As we say in Hausa, not thigh but hind leg.”
The clarification by Betara came amid strong speculations that Senators received $15,000 bribe to pass a resolution to sustain declaration of state of emergency rule in Rivers.
The bribe was reportedly shared on Tuesday before they voted on Wednesday.
News
INEC holds crucial meeting to look into petition recalling Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan from Senate
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has proceeded into a crucial meeting to study and look into a petition submitted to it by constituents of Kogi Central Senatorial District.
CAPITAL POST gathered, it a top management meeting as it was claimed that over 250,000 constituents signed the petition out of 480,000 registered voters.
The meeting was confirmed on Monday by the Acting
Director of Publicity, Esther Chibuikem, stating that the meeting held at a committee room at the INEC headquarters in Abuja.
It was also confirmed that the Secretary to the commission, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, on received the petition against Natasha on Monday.
The petition follwed the nod given by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja on Friday where the earlier judgement restraining INEC from accepting the petition was set asid3.
Last week, constituents from Kogi Central were said to have i initiated a recall of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, but some constituents claimed that they were d3ceived into exercise as they were told to gather with their voters card for 3 powerment.
However, the Court, in a judgement delivered in Lokoja, affirmed that the recall process is constitutionally valid and aligns with the civic rights of the constituents.
The court urged the constituents to continue exercising their rights in an orderly and peaceful manner.
The development was after the court on Thursday granted an interim injunction restraining INEC, its staff, agents, privies or assigns from receiving, accepting or acting on any petition containing signatures of members of Kogi Central Senatorial District.
As at press time, INEC hasn’t release information on the next action as signatures may have to be critically compared with its register to determine validity.
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