National Assembly moves to conduct all elections in one day ahead of 2027

National Assembly moves to conduct all elections in one day ahead of 2027

The National Assembly is considering major amendments to Nigeria’s electoral laws, including a proposal that could see all federal and state elections held on the same day starting from 2027.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, disclosed this during a meeting in Abuja with a delegation from the European Union Election Observation Follow-up Mission to Nigeria.

The delegation, led by EU parliamentarian Barry Andrews, has been in the country for three weeks to assess progress on the EU’s post-election recommendations following the 2023 general elections.

Abbas said the National Assembly is taking electoral reform seriously and working to address issues identified by both domestic stakeholders and international observers.

“I want to acknowledge that the leadership of the country under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to ensuring that we improve on our electoral processes, particularly regarding the observations made (by international observers) on the 2023 elections,” Abbas stated.

He emphasised that legislators are reviewing a broad range of concerns that arose from the last election cycle and are crafting amendments to ensure that future elections are “more transparent, acceptable and in alignment with international standards.”

Among the reforms under consideration are reserved seats in parliament for women and persons with disabilities (PWDs), financial and constitutional recognition for traditional rulers, and the introduction of a single-day election for all offices — presidential, governorship, national assembly, and state assembly positions.

Abbas said lawmakers recently held a joint leadership meeting between the House and the Senate to accelerate the electoral reform process.

“We agreed that because of some of the amendments that we want to bring forth – (some are by way of Act of Parliament, some are by constitutional amendment) we will fast track and isolate the electoral issues and take them as one, single entity; and push them forward for the National Assembly to deliberate and take a position; and then send them to the sub-nationals (state Houses of Assembly) to also consider within a short timeframe – between now and December,” he said.

He further reassured that the parliament is “very serious” about the reform agenda, citing both institutional and financial motivations for the proposed changes. According to Abbas, the idea of a single-day election could significantly streamline the electoral process and reduce overall costs by as much as 40%.

Meanwhile, the EU delegation also visited the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), where Chairman Mahmood Yakubu warned that delays in passing key amendments to the Electoral Act 2022 could hinder early preparations for the 2027 general election.

In addition to INEC, the mission also met with political stakeholders, including the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as part of its broader consultation process.

The European Union had made several recommendations following the 2023 general elections, focusing on improving transparency, voter participation, and public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process — issues now being actively considered by the National Assembly in its reform efforts.

Abbas said: “Like the single-day election, it is to hold the election of the president, National Assembly membership, governorship and state House of Assembly membership elections on the same day.

“In our own thinking, it will help to reduce our electoral costs to as much as 40 per cent if we can hold the elections within a day. It will also improve transparency and increase efficiency, particularly on the turnout of voters.”

“One takeaway from this meeting is to take the assurance from me and my colleagues that we will not be late. We will do the needful as far as legislation is concerned to enable INEC to have all the necessary tools and provisions to make the 2027 election much better than the 2023 election,” he said.