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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.
