By Obike Ukoh
The imperative of strengthening the electoral system as a panacea to bequeath enduring democracy was one of the dominant issues raised at the recently concluded Constitution Review sittings held across the six geo-political zones.
Undoubtedly, a credible election, experts say, is the bedrock of constitutional democracy.
Free and fair elections guarantee peace and stability. The consequences of a disputed election are obvious: protracted litigation, image problems for the candidates to emerge among others.
As a way out of the current problems associated with the country’s elections, the proposal put forward is to conduct elections on the same day.
This suggestion and proposal, however, is not new as it has been canvassed.
In 2021, ahead of the 2023 General Elections, late Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, and Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, then Senate Chief Whip, both leading members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had said that it was possible to hold all elections on the same day.
Onu said that his ministry had developed a machine to handle elections of that magnitude.
Onu, who spoke with State House correspondents in Abuja, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, said that the Council had been briefed on the machine in the performance assessment report he submitted. He added that the electronic voting machine would be solar-powered.
The minister explained: “This voting solution will help us to have clean elections in Nigeria and will make it possible for us as a nation to conduct all our elections in one day at the same time.
“All the elections, the national, state and local governments; seven of them can be conducted the same day.”
Onu added that the other qualities of the machine included the fact it is paperless and also designed not to store data.
“So, if somebody comes to snatch it, it’s a waste of time. As soon as data comes into it, it transmits it.
“So basically, you’ll have a system that will be addressing many of the problems that we have today in the conduct of our elections.
The minister said that the ministry was in consultation with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the machine, which had also been presented to the National Economic Council (NEC).
“We have gone to INEC on this, to set up a committee; we also took this before the National Economic Council and we are still working to further improve on the system,” he added.
Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu (APC-Abia North) also re-echoed the need to conduct all elections on the same day.
The former governor of Abia even called on INEC to consider holding the 2023 general elections on the same day in order to reduce costs and rigging.
Kalu said that the presidential election, as well as the national assembly, governorship and state house of assembly elections could be simultaneously taken care of on the same day.
He stressed that holding the 2023 elections on the same day would minimise cost.
Kalu also cited the U.S., Ghana and Sierra Leone as countries that are holding same-day elections.
The former governor said inter alia: “The INEC should conduct the 2023 elections on the same day as staggered elections are unnecessarily expensive.
“The conduct of the elections on different days gives room for rigging, thuggery and several vices.
“When elections are conducted on the same day, popular candidates will emerge, because everyone will be busy in their polling units and zones, unlike on different days.
The cost of running two days of elections will also be saved. “To deepen our democracy, we need to get the elections right. When leaders with genuine interests of the people are voted to power, they provide exceptional leadership and infrastructure to their people,” Kalu stressed.
The 2023 General Elections were not conducted on the same day as canvassed by the two leading members of the ruling APC and other stakeholders, so the debate continues.
As usual, there are mixed reactions on whether or not holding all elections on the same day is feasible and desirable, ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
Mr Abia Onyike, a former Commissioner for Information and Orientation in Ebonyi, said conducting all elections one day will further entrench democracy in the country. According to him, it will save costs and minimise political manipulations.
“Presidential, national assembly, governorship and house of assembly elections should be conducted in one day, as this is the general practice all over the world.
“Organising elections in one day will save the country the huge cost usually incurred during staggered elections.
“Also, it will not create room for electoral manipulations which have been threatening our democratic process,’’ Onyike added. He also stressed that conducting elections in one day would provide the electorate the opportunity to demonstrate their will without being unduly influenced.
“So, INEC should go back to the drawing board and review its capacity to conduct all the elections in one day. “There will be no bandwagon effect and people will vote based on what they know,” he said.
On his part, the National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ladipo Johnson, stressed that same-day polls would be both cost-effective and efficient.
“The costs of elections are too high; any reasonable thing to reduce the costs should be looked into. Even for the political parties, it is cheaper and more efficient for them to do their elections in one day.”
“If these people are going to rig, they will rig. But if you have all your elections in one day, all your candidates can pool resources so that the polling unit is properly manned.”
Senior lawyers who commented on the issue also held divergent views.
For Lekan Ojo (SAN): “From the economic perspective, it is a cost-saving measure, but it may be very clumsy. The electoral officers may be overwhelmed and that may lead to a floodgate of litigations.”
Wale Balogun (SAN), noted that “If our experience is anything to go by, then I’m afraid for Nigeria. I don’t think we can do so.”
Adedayo Adedeji (SAN), aligned with Balogun on INEC’s capacity.
“ Conducting all elections on the same day would drastically reduce the cost of elections, but I doubt if INEC can do so now.’’
Prof. Jonah Onuoha, of the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), who spoke on the issue, said it would not only be difficult but impossible, as the country does not have adequate electoral logistics and facilities to do it.
Onuoha said the presidential and national assembly elections conducted in one day by INEC were usually inundated by reports of INEC officials and voting materials arriving late, as well as not reaching some areas.
He said the same problem happened in the governorship and state house of assembly elections conducted on the same day.
Onuoha wondered what the situation would be like if the whole election were conducted on the same day.
“The suggestion in some quarters that the general elections should be conducted in one day to save cost is impossible, as the country cannot do it.
“If attempted, the resources used will be a waste because the objective will not be achieved as INEC will be overstretched beyond its capacity, “he said.
Onuoha, who is also the Director, Centre for American Studies in UNN, said that the focus in general elections should not be on how to cut costs, but how to conduct transparent, free and fair elections that would be accepted nationally and internationally.
“What is the benefit if general elections are conducted in one day but marred by irregularities and many Nigerians disenfranchised?
“It’s better presidential, national assembly, governorship and state assembly elections are conducted on separate days, provided the election is credible, transparent, free and fair,’’ he said.
Contributing, Dr Chinedu Ejezie, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science, UNN, said that the country conducting general elections in one day is a good idea, but noted the country is not ripe as it lacks the capacity in terms of logistics, facilities and manpower.
“It’s good to conduct presidential, national assembly, governorship and state assembly elections in one day, but the truth is that the country cannot now successfully do it.
“If the country wants to do it, INEC’s manpower, electoral facilities, and logistics will be upgraded and amendments of relevant sections of the constitution to legalise it.
“To me, holding general elections in one day should not be the priority, but how to get it right during elections so that the result will reflect the wishes of Nigerians.
“This money we want to save may at last end up in some politicians’ pockets,” he said.
Also contributing, a political scientist, Dr..Chigozie Okonkwo, of the Institute of African Studies, UNN, said what is important in elections is adhering to electoral laws and constitutionality that make elections credible, free and fair.
“If general elections in the country that is staggered have been usually marred by poor logistics, electoral malpractice, late arrival of INEC ad-hoc staff and voting materials, I wonder what it will be if conducted in one day.
“It does not matter whether all elections are held the same day, as it’s done in some advanced Western democracies, or staggered as currently practiced in Nigeria.
“What is important is that the election should be credible, free and fair.
“The goal should not be mainly to reduce or save cost, but to ensure that the election adheres to electoral laws and constitutionality that makes the result of the election acceptable to all candidates,” he said.
With divergent views expressed, it is unambiguous that all elections could comfortably be conducted on the same day.
The needful should be done: Up calling the capacity of INEC to do so and fine-tuning the proposal made by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, during the tenure of late Dr Ogbonnaya Onu.
Obike Ukoh, ex-Deputy Editor-In-Chief, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
