A senior official of the Independent National Electoral Commission has cautioned the National Assembly against passing a bill seeking to conduct all major elections in one day, warning that such a move could undermine Nigeria’s electoral system.
The official, who spoke anonymously to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday, questioned the practicality of holding presidential, senatorial, House of Representatives, governorship, and state assembly elections simultaneously.
The proposal, which has gained traction among some political stakeholders including The Patriots—a group of elder statesmen led by former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku—has already passed second reading in the House of Representatives as part of the Electoral Act 2025 amendment.
Proponents argue that a single-day election would reduce manipulation risks, curb vote-buying, and save time and costs.
However, the INEC official expressed skepticism, stating, “It’s about the practicality of the concept, the purpose of this latest move and what the whole thing intends to achieve. What is wrong with the current method? Will conducting all elections same day guarantee credibility? Will it produce a different outcome from what we are having now?”
The official further questioned whether lawmakers consulted INEC before proposing the reform, emphasizing that the constitution grants the commission exclusive authority to determine election dates.
The official highlighted the immense logistical challenges INEC already faces with the current two-phase general elections, where presidential and National Assembly polls are held first, followed by governorship and state assembly elections.
“Even as things stand now, the commission is still finding it challenging to deal with the logistics aspect,” the official noted.
Detailing the complexities, the official explained, “For the presidential and national assembly elections, voting takes place simultaneously between 8.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. in over 176,000 polling units across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Just imagine, for a moment, what all that entails. After that, the process of sorting and counting the ballot papers begins, followed by collation at the ward, local government and state levels.”
The official added that returning officers must then travel to Abuja to present results to the INEC Chairman, the only constitutionally authorized person to declare presidential election outcomes.
The official warned that consolidating all elections into a single day could overwhelm the system, potentially leading to breakdowns in the electoral process. “Adding the burden of other elections to the first part might truncate the process,” the official stated, urging lawmakers to drop the proposal.