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).
During a press conference held in Owerri, the coalition called the campaign a “dangerous and shameful display” designed to distract the public from the governor’s performance in office.
The CSOs directly linked the Greater Imo Initiative (GII) —the group that made the allegations on September 4, 2025—to Governor Uzodimma, describing the group as his “mouthpiece and attack dog.”
“Every word spoken against INEC was spoken on his behalf.
“By falsely alleging that Professor Yakubu has an alliance with Dr. Amadi to compromise the 2027 elections, Uzodimma has not only maligned a man of proven integrity but also assaulted the very foundation of our democracy”, said Dr Agbo Frederick, speaking for the coalition.
The coalition described Professor Yakubu as a “beacon of electoral professionalism” and called the attempt to soil his reputation “defamatory and a national security risk.”
They also defended Dr. Amadi, a “respected development scholar,” stating that the governor’s accusations were “laughable, desperate, and dangerous.”
The CSOs see the motive behind the campaign as an attempt to “silence the dissent, intimidate the opposition, and divert attention from the governor’s abysmal record in office.”
The coalition issued four key demands to Governor Uzodimma: An immediate retraction of the false and defamatory allegations against Professor Mahmood Yakubu and Dr. Chima Amadi.
- A public apology to both men within seven days, to be published in at least three national newspapers and broadcast on major television networks.
- An end to diversionary tactics and proxy propaganda.
- A renewed focus on governance, including addressing insecurity, unemployment, and poverty in Imo State.
The CSOs warned that failure to comply would force them to “review our position with a view to seeking legal redress from Governor Uzodimma for defamation, false accusation, and reckless endangerment of lives.”
“Governor Uzodimma must be reminded that he did not find himself in the seat of power to chase shadows.
“We call on all Nigerians to reject Uzodimma’s diversionary antics as they are nothing short of desperate plots by a government terrified of accountability”, the statement concluded.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern that preventing the senator from resuming her legislative duties violates democratic principles and disenfranchises her constituents.
“The suspension, having been imposed by the Senate and not a court of law, has lapsed. Any further attempt to prevent her from resuming is therefore both illegal and morally indefensible,” Mallam Abdullahi said.
The party noted that denying Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan access to the chamber silences the voice of the people who elected her, adding that the withdrawal of her salary, aides, and office access during the suspension amounted to excessive punishment.
The ADC also criticised the Clerk of the National Assembly for declining to process her resumption on grounds that the matter was before the courts, arguing that the Clerk’s role was administrative, not judicial.
“Administrative caution must not translate into complicity. When the administrative machinery becomes hostage to political interests, the institution itself is diminished,” the party stated.
Highlighting that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan is one of only four women in the 109-member Senate, the ADC warned that the handling of the case sends a discouraging signal about gender inclusion in Nigerian politics.
“Any action that resembles gender intimidation of the few women in the Senate would only discourage women’s participation. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while excluding half of its population from key decision-making spaces,” Mallam Abdullahi added.
The ADC insisted that Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan be allowed to resume her seat immediately, stressing that the matter was about more than one individual.
“What is at stake here is not just one Senate seat, but the integrity of our democracy itself,” the party said.