Experts Weigh Single Day Election

Ahead of the 2027 general election, experts have weighed options over the desirability or otherwise of a single day voting as against the staggered polls currently in practised by the country.

They made their views known at a Policy Dialogue on Single Day Election in Nigeria, organised by African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD) in Abuja on Friday.

In a lead presentation, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Nile University, Abuja, Dr Iroro Izu asserted that the country needs to adopt a single day election due to its multiple advantages unlike staggered polls.

According to the scholar, single day election will save government’s funds, prevent unnecessary economic losses, stop subtle disenfranchisement via the bandwagon effect, show national seriousness, curb waste of time, energy, and manpower; arrest electoral fraud and prevent undue heating up of the polity.

Izu said whenever the economy is shut down out of multiple days of the conduct of elections, the country bleeds, losing billions in dollars, adding that with the amount the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) spends to conduct a general election and what Nigerians lose economically…”it becomes a fool’s paradise to continue in this charade.”

“This is not to add the non-material, socio-psychological trauma faced by Nigerians as a result of sustained heated political environment. The economics and even politics of having elections in multiple days or weekends are clearly counter-productive.”

He observed that the United States with a population of 340 million people, 50 states, 100 Senatorial seats, 435 House of Representatives seats and landmass of 9.148 million kilometers, about 9 times bigger than Nigeria in landmass; more than 100 million larger than Nigeria demographically, still conducts general elections in a day without a public holiday declared.

“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 km, 28 states and 8 union territories, and 543 parliamentary seats, holds its general elections one day.

“Brazil, also a federal country, is biggest democracy in South America, with a population of 216.4 million people, landmass of 8.51 million km, 513 parliamentary seats, with 26 states, hold its general elections in a day,” Izu noted.

He recommended the creation of more polling units, deployment of more well-trained and well-equipped personnel; prioritisation of the use of political science and statistics graduates as election workers; use of much more advanced technologies and integrating electronic, diaspora voting amongst others as approaches to a single day election.

For his part, founding Executive Director of Centre LSD, Dr Otive Igbuzor, said there seemed to be agreement on a single day election but what more work needed to be done to realise the goal.

Igbuzor said: “So for us, this is a start of a process, we will appeal to the resource person to convert the presentation into policy brief which we will use to engage INEC, political parties, politician 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 protect it is to strengthen democracy by ensuring that there is a credible electoral process. We are committed to contributing to that process.”

In his intervention, the Executive Director of Partners for Electoral Reforms, Ezenwa Nwagwu called for deeper reflection on the single day election, saying the literacy level and topography of countries like USA, Brazil and India are not the with Nigeria.

“In place like Taraba state, from Jalingo there are places you will go that take you almost seven hours.
In Kebbi state, there are places you will go to by the time your vehicle stops, you used carmel and after that you use motorcycle to get to those places.

“So we’re not the same with USA, in dealing with those challenges we need to contextualise our environment we are living. What I’m saying is that there is need for deeper reflection so that we don’t get excited without taking into cognizance the political environment, the culture of the politicians we are dealing with, how they react and our own people because at the end of the day we see election as a bazar. For me it has to do with nature and character of our politics,” he said.

Also speaking, the Director of Operation in INEC, Adigun Hakeem, said the electoral umpire can not take a position on the matter pending National Assembly intervention and input of stakeholders.

He said: “INEC as a governing body, we cannot take a position on these issues for now. INEC’s primary assignment is to conduct free, fair and credible elections. All activities and guidelines are being spelt out by the National Assembly. So we don’t take a position.

“At the end of today’s meeting, the decision we arrive at will be submitted to the commission. We are here to participate and to listen to your position. As we are here, we are listening to your advocacy. Our interest is to be fair and conduct free and credible elections.

“At INEC, after every general election we go back to the drawing board, to review the election. Like this last 2023 election, the review report just came. For all the elections like the National Assembly and presidency and followed by the state assembly and governorship, all the issues that came out during the last election are reviewed so that we improve on future elections.

“INEC cannot do it alone, all the stakeholders in election matters must come together and by the grace of God, we will submit the report of today’s meeting to the commission.”