Politics
2023 And Conduct Of All Elections Same Day
Credible election, experts say, is the bedrock of constitutional democracy. Free and fair election guarantees peace and stability.
The consequences of a disputed election are obvious: protracted litigation, image problems for the candidates that emerge, among others.
Unarguably, Nigeria has a fair share of disputed elections. In most cases, after long litigation, the court has to decide the eventual winner.
They say that to deepen our democracy, we need to get the elections right.
To restore normalcy in the country’s electoral system, some stakeholders have suggested that all elections should hold on the same day.
There were, however, divergent views on the suggestion to hold all elections on the same day.
Even before the clamour to hold all elections in one day, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonanya Onu, had said that it was possible.
He said 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 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 minster 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 that 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.
The Chief Whip of the Senate, Sen. Orji Kalu, recently re-echoed the need to conduct all elections on the same day.
The former governor of Abia, called on INEC to consider holding the 2023 general elections same day, in order to reduce cost and rigging.
Kalu said that presidential election as well as the national assembly, governorship and state house of assembly elections could be concurrently taken care of on the same day, rather than having staggered dates for them.
He stressed that holding 2023 elections on the same day would minimise cost, give the electorate opportunity to vote their genuine choice and protect their votes.
Kalu also cited the U.S., Ghana and Sierra Leone as countries indulging in same day election, adding that Nigeria will not be out of place to do same.
The former governor said inter alia: “The INEC should conduct the 2023 elections same day as staggered elections are unnecessarily expensive.
“The conduct of the elections in different days gives room for rigging, thuggery and several vices. It also puts the lives of the voters and INEC officials on intense danger.
“When elections are conducted on the same day, popular candidates will emerge, because everyone will be busy in their polling units and zones, unlike different days. The cost of running two days’ 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.”
In the same vein, a former Commissioner for Information and Orientation in Ebonyi, Chief Abia Onyike, said, conducting all elections in one day will further entrench democracy in the country.
According to Onyike, a former Deputy National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), the idea will save cost and minimise political manipulations during elections.
“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 had 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.
However, two dons who spoke on the issue said it would be impossible to successfully conduct all elections in one day during the 2023 general elections.
The dons of the Department of Political Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Prof. Aloysius Okolie, said that conducting all the elections in one day would be impossible because the country lacked the manpower to do so without the process losing its credibility.
“If all the elections are conducted in a day, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies will be overwhelmed as they will not have enough manpower to perform their duties.
“Yes, if it is possible to be conducted in a day it will save cost, but it is impossible because of dearth of manpower.’’
Okolie, who is Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, said staggering of elections was not responsible for electoral malpractice as canvassed by opponents.
He said malpractice was caused by overzealous and wrong perception of some politicians, who saw election as a do or die affair.
“Even in the U.S. and other developed countries, elections are not conducted in one day, but election malpractice recorded is negligible.
“No country can conduct perfect election or election that is 100 per cent free and fair, but the malpractice should be minimal and negligible,” he said.
Head of Department of Political Science, Prof. Jonah Onuoha, also said the country lacked the manpower and logistics to conduct all 2023 elections in one day.
Onuoha said that even if it would be possible, it would not be now that the country is battling with serious security challenges, coupled with the penchant of politicians to rig elections
“Saving cost and staggering of elections are not main problems of conducting elections in the country, but how to get it right and conduct credible, free and fair elections even when staggered 10 times,’’ he said.
According to him, there will even be more fraud if all elections are conducted in a day because electoral stakeholders will be overwhelmed by the magnitude of work needed.
“INEC, security agencies, election observers and the media will not have enough manpower that will give adequate attention to all elections conducted that day.
“Nigeria should focus on conducting credible, free and fair elections, which results will be accepted by all contestants.
“This will improve the country’s image as well as save billions of naira spent by aggrieved candidates to challenge election results in election petition tribunals,” Onuoha said.
Undoubtedly, Nigeria is facing a challenge of conducting free, fair and credible election. Probably, experimenting with conducting all election same day, may save the situation.
By: Obike Ukoh
Ukoh writes for the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The Tide source reports that Prof. Akinoso was elected alongside 38 other executive members of the party at the congress held on Saturday.
Other executive members are Dr Abiola Olaonipekun, who emerged as Secretary, Alhaja Latifah Latifu, Women Leader and Mr A. Adeleke, elected as Youth Leader.
It was learnt that the congress, which took place at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke Ado in Ibadan, was attended by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Police, other security agencies and prominent members of the party.
The election was supervised by electoral committee members, among whom were Prince Diran Odeyemi, who served as Chairman, Hon. Awoniyi Tolulope, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, Queen Stepheine Oyechere, Alhaji Yusuf Abidakun, Mr Olumide Aguda and Dr Phillips Adeniyi, who served as Secretary.
Prof. Akinoso, in his inaugural address, urged members of the party to set aside intra-party differences.
He advised them to concentrate their resources on the promotion of the party, saying, “The primary responsibilities of party executive members are to coordinate party activities, ensure harmony among members, and ensure party victory during general elections.
“Our immediate assignments are to key into INEC released 2027 general election time-tables. As directed by the National Caretaker Committee of PDP, our party e-membership registration starts next week. We must be fully involved and do a membership drive.
“A political party is only relevant and benefits its members if it wins the election. This is our goal. We should set aside intra-party differences; concentrate our resources towards the promotion of the party. We will make necessary consultations and dialogue to actualise this”.
President Tinubu disclosed this during an interfaith breaking of fast with senior journalists and media executives at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Saturday.
He also disclosed that his administration had opened up on the principles of true federalism to the extent that local governments now get direct allocation from the Federal Government.
“There’s no morning that I ever leave my house without going through the newspapers. It’s an addiction. I read all of you.
“It might not be in full detail, but headline, the one that would hit me and the ones that won’t.
“At the beginning of this administration, I was just a little bit stubborn, looking at opportunities to correct things and make life more easier for the downtrodden.
“We’ve opened up the principle of federalism to the extent that local governments are now getting their money, but how they use it is in your hands. So, don’t bombard me alone,” President Tinubu said.
The ruling party said the ADC had turned criticism of the APC-led administration into its operating manifesto instead of presenting concrete solutions to Nigeria’s economic challenges.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, the party dismissed the ADC’s interpretation of a report presented at a policy dialogue organised by Agora Policy which suggested that the country’s poverty rate had risen from 49 per cent to 63 per cent.
Mr Morka said the opposition party’s reaction to the report as a “damning verdict” on the government’s economic policies reflected either ignorance of economic realities or deliberate political mischief.
“The African Democratic Congress’ attempt to spin a recent report presented at the Agora Policy dialogue indicating a rise of poverty rate of 63 per cent from 49 per cent as a damning verdict on this administration’s economic policies speaks either to its shocking ignorance of economic policy or its wilful blindness to the justification for, and transformative impacts of, ongoing economic reforms,” he said.
The APC spokesman noted that the report itself recognised the necessity of reforms aimed at correcting long-standing structural distortions in the economy.
According to him, the ADC had failed to present any credible alternative policy direction for Nigerians.
“Clearly, the ADC does not recognise itself as a political party. The ADC has not articulated a single alternative policy position or prescription of benefit to Nigerians. Condemning the APC and its policies has become its operating manifesto,” Mr Morka said.
He explained that major economic decisions taken by President Bola Tinubu, including the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of multiple foreign exchange windows, were necessary steps to rescue the country’s economy from collapse.
Mr Morka said the subsidy regime had for years placed a heavy burden on public finances, consuming trillions of naira annually while encouraging corruption, fuel smuggling and inefficiencies in the system.
He added that the reforms had helped redirect national resources to key sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, education and social development.
The APC spokesman acknowledged that economic reforms often come with short-term hardship but stressed that the measures were essential to build a stronger and more resilient economy.
“Economic reform is never cost-free anywhere in the world. The transient hardship experienced by Nigerians was an inevitable cost of reforms meant to build and guarantee a better future for all Nigerians,” he said.
Mr Morka maintained that the country’s economic outlook was already improving, citing recent growth figures and stronger external reserves.
“Our economy has rebounded and is expanding steadily. The country’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.4 per cent last year and is projected to expand by 5.5 per cent this fiscal year, with foreign reserves now exceeding $50 billion,” he stated.
He also pointed to government initiatives designed to cushion the effects of economic adjustments on citizens, including cash transfer programmes, student loan schemes and the rollout of compressed natural gas (CNG) initiatives to reduce transportation costs.
Mr Morka reaffirmed that the APC-led administration would remain focused on rebuilding the economy and expanding social investments to support vulnerable Nigerians.
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