According to him, conducting elections on a single day would enhance credibility and address the challenge of low voter participation.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may in the future conduct Nigeria’s presidential, governorship, and legislative elections on the same day, as part of far-reaching electoral reforms being considered by the House of Representatives.
The House Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed this during a meeting with a delegation from the European Union in Abuja, noting that the proposed constitutional amendment seeks to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and boost voter turnout.
He made this comment as the National Assembly is currently amending the 1999 constitution and is expected to vote on the alteration bills this month.
“Like the single-day election, it is to hold the election of the president, national assembly membership, governorship, and state house of assembly membership elections on the same day,” Abbas said.
According to him, conducting elections on a single day would enhance credibility and address the challenge of low voter participation.
“In our own thinking, it will help to reduce our electoral process, particularly on the turnout of voters,” he added.
Abbas explained that the reforms under consideration also cover reserved seats for women and persons with disabilities, financial autonomy and defined roles for traditional rulers, and other constitutional changes.
The Speaker urged the EU delegation to support the National Assembly in advocacy and publicity, stressing that state assemblies must endorse the proposals.
“We will do all the needful as far as legislation is concerned to enable INEC to have all the necessary tools and provisions to make the 2027 election much better than the 2023 election,” Abbas assured.
Previously, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, had said elections in the country, after 2015, should be held same day, saying that staggered elections were costly.
Besides, Jega said holding elections same day was in line with global practices.
“I think that in future, not 2015, elections should be held in same day in line with global practices and Nigeria should move in that direction in the future. Staggered elections are not cost effective and it is not cost efficient and it is expensive,” Jega had told some journalists in Abuja.
The INEC chairman cited Ghana, Sierra-Leone, the United States and Venezuela as countries that held their elections in one day.
Currently Nigeria holds elections on different days.
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