By Douglas Okoro
Stakeholders in Abakaliki have expressed divergent views on the proposal for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct all national elections in one day.
The stakeholders spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abakaliki.
Some stakeholders contended that holding all elections including; presidential, national assembly, governorship and state assembly on the same day could reduce undue political influence and ensure a better acceptable outcome.
They insisted that the current staggered election format encourages a bandwagon effect, whereby the outcome of the presidential election influences subsequent elections.
Mr Paschal Ogbu, a legal practitioner and public affairs analyst, said that the idea of holding all the elections in one day was not only feasible but desirable.
Ogbu contended that staggered elections undermined the democratic choice of the people at the grassroots level, stressing that the electorate were usually influenced by the outcome of the presidential election.
“When presidential election comes first, there is often a bandwagon effect that influences how people vote in subsequent elections and this undermines the democratic choice of the people especially, at the grassroots level.
“Conducting all elections in one day will also help reduce the overall cost of logistics, deployment of personnel and security arrangements,” Ogbu said.
Mrs Chioma Nwali, Coordinator of a women-led civil society group, Gender Perspectives (GP), also supported the proposal, describing staggered elections as wasteful and prone to voter fatigue.
She called on INEC to consider the conduct of the 2027 general elections in a single day to stem the negative bandwagon that usually follow after the emergence of the president-elect.
“It makes sense economically and administratively to hold all the elections on the same day. It will lead to higher voter-turnout and save the country billions of Naira spent in the conduct of elections,” she said.
Chief Ephraim Oketa, a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), in Izzi Local Government Area of the state urged the electoral body to revert to the 1979 model where all elections were held in a single day to make the election outcome more credible and acceptable.
“The outcome of the presidential election in a staggered election usually determines and influence the outcome of the other layers of the elections and this is not healthy for our evolving democracy.”
However, others raised concerns about the logistics and security implications of holding elections nationwide in a single day.
Mr Sunday Ali, a retired INEC official, cautioned that while the proposal has its advantages, the country’s electoral infrastructure might not yet be able to contend such a complex operation.
“INEC will need to massively upgrade its logistics and manpower capacity; the volume of materials, the number of personnel and the management of results will require a higher level of preparedness,” Ali said.
He further noted that conducting all elections same day could increase the risk of technical failures and possible violence due to overstretched security agencies.
Dr Eugene Otuu, a university lecturer in Political Science department, said that staggered elections might lead to some administrative flexibility and reduced systemic shocks.
He argued that instead of calling for all national elections to hold in one day, that focus should be on how INEC should improve and adopt more credible approach to delivering credible, free and transparent elections.
A former member of the Ebonyi State Assembly, who pleaded for anonymity, said that politicians often take advantage of the staggered elections arrangement to align with winning parties after the presidential results were declared.
NAN reports that Nigeria currently conducts its general elections in two phases, presidential and national assembly elections and governorship and state assembly polls.
The 2023 elections followed this pattern, sparking fresh debates among electoral stakeholders, civil society groups and policymakers on the need to restructure the electoral calendar for a more fairness and cost-efficiency.
NAN further reports that INEC is yet to make an official statement on whether it is considering conducting the 2027 general elections one day.(NAN)
