An official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged the National Assembly to discard a bill proposing the conduct of all elections in a single day.
Speaking anonymously to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja, the official warned that implementing such a bill could jeopardise the country’s electoral framework.
NAN reports that calls for sweeping electoral reforms have been gaining traction in some quarters, including suggestions to hold all five major elections — presidential, senatorial, House of Representatives, governorship, and state assembly — on the same day.
One such call came from The Patriots, a group of elder statesmen led by former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, during a recent national summit on the future of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.
Similarly, the House of Representatives has incorporated the proposal into the ongoing review of the Electoral Act 2025, which has passed second reading. If passed, the amended Act would authorise INEC to conduct all elections simultaneously.
Proponents argue that the reform would reduce the risk of electoral malpractice, curb vote-buying, and make the process more efficient and cost-effective.
However, the INEC official stressed that the issue is not about the commission’s capacity, but rather the feasibility of conducting all elections in one day.
“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?
“What is the practicality of it? Did the lawmakers seek INEC’s opinion before embarking on this move?” the official queried.
The official noted that since the constitution grants INEC the sole authority to fix election dates, lawmakers should refrain from attempting to undermine that power.
He explained that INEC currently splits general elections into two phases — presidential and National Assembly elections first, followed by governorship and State Assembly polls — for practical reasons.
“Even with the current arrangement, the commission still struggles with logistical challenges,” the official said.
“Take, for instance, the presidential and National Assembly elections, which are held simultaneously from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide, including the 36 states and the FCT. Just think about the scale and complexity of that operation,” he added.
“After that, the process of sorting and counting the ballot papers begins, followed by collation at the ward, local government and state levels.
“After that, returning officers will proceed from each of the states to the National Collation Centre in Abuja to physically present their individual results to the Chief Electoral Commissioner of the Federation, that is, the INEC Chairman.
“He is the only individual empowered by the constitution to announce the result of a presidential election,” the official said, adding that the process takes lots of time.
The INEC official said that adding the burden of other elections to the first part (presidential and national assembly) might truncate the process.
To the official, the idea should simply be dropped.
