2027 Polls: Conduct Federal, State Elections Same Day – Lawmaker Tells INEC

The Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to abandon the staggered election schedule and hold all federal and state elections on a single day during the 2027 general election.

Dasuki made the call at the weekend while receiving visiting youth members from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), who paid him a congratulatory visit following his emergence as Deputy Minority Leader.

The lawmaker argued that merging the polls would save the country massive economic losses caused by shutting down business and social activities across two separate election weekends.

Explaining the financial advantages, Dasuki stated that a one-day election would dramatically cut government spending on allowances, logistics, and security deployment for ad hoc staff.

He noted that such cost savings are crucial at a time when the nation faces tight budget constraints and needs funds for welfare projects that directly touch the lives of citizens.

Furthermore, the lawmaker pointed out that a single election day would ease the travel burden on voters and political actors, especially given the current security challenges in parts of the country.

“Under the current arrangement, voters and election participants are forced to make two separate long-distance trips, one in January for federal elections and another in February for state elections,” Dasuki explained.

“Considering the security situation in Nigeria, participants should not be required to make two separate journeys for elections when the process can be efficiently organised to take place on one day.”

He added that INEC is well-equipped to manage five ballot papers simultaneously, covering the presidential, senatorial, House of Representatives, governorship, and State House of Assembly elections, if proper arrangements are made early.

He also noted that in the eight off-cycle governorship states, voters would only handle four ballot papers, making the process even simpler.

Dasuki also raised an alarm over Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act, warning that the clause could undermine the credibility of the 2027 polls by legalising unvalidated ballot papers.

He drew attention to an apparent conflict between Section 63(1) and Section 63(2) of the Act. While Section 63(1) clearly states that “a ballot paper which does not bear the official mark prescribed by the commission shall not be counted,” Section 63(2) allows a returning officer to count an unmarked ballot paper if they are satisfied it came from an official ballot book issued to that polling unit.

The lawmaker argued that leaving such discretion to electoral officers creates a dangerous loophole for fake or unauthorised ballot papers to enter the official tally.

“Permitting ballot papers without the prescribed official mark to be counted could expose the electoral process to abuse and make it difficult to distinguish genuine ballot papers from counterfeit ones,” he warned, adding that opposition leaders in Parliament are working to amend the section before the next general election.

In his closing remarks, Dasuki commended the Federal Government for recently increasing the salaries of Armed Forces personnel, calling it a step in the right direction.

He, however, pushed for further improvements in military welfare, particularly in providing decent housing for officers and their families.

Reiterating his earlier proposal, the lawmaker urged the government to hand over forfeited properties seized by anti-graft agencies to the military for use as barracks and operational facilities, stressing that boosting soldier morale is vital to tackling insecurity across Nigeria.