Nigerian Senate Proposes Same Day Elections to Cut Cost

The Senate, yesterday, passed for second reading a bill seeking to amend the Electoral Act 2022 by introducing same day elections nationwide.

The bill sponsored by Senator Saliu Mustapha, Kwara Central, was intended to cut election costs, reduce campaign period, and allow elected officials to serve as ad hoc delegates in party congresses.

However, at the House of Representatives, yesterday, members got cold feet, and rescinded their decision to strip the vice president, governors, and deputy governors of immunity.

The House also reversed its decision on the bill to abolish death penalty.

But the lower chamber passed for second reading a bill seeking to alter the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to create an additional local government area in Imo State to be known as Ideato West Local Government Area.

Leading the debate on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (SB.701), Mustapha decried the rising financial burden of elections on the government.

He stated that the cost of general elections had surged from N1.5 billion in 1999 to N350 billion in 2023, describing the trend as unsustainable and a major drain on national resources.

“The current staggered election process is expensive and inefficient. Conducting all elections on the same day will save costs, boost voter participation, and reduce political tension,” he said.

Mustapha said Nigeria must take a cue from countries like the United States, India, and Brazil, which have successfully implemented same-day elections, leading to a more streamlined and cost-effective electoral process.

The bill also proposed a shorter campaign period to ease the financial burden on political parties, candidates, and the government.

Mustapha stated that prolonged campaigns often disrupted governance and fuelled unnecessary political tension.

Another key amendment in the bill was the inclusion of elected officeholders, including the president, vice president, governors, national and state assembly members, and local government chairmen, as ad hoc delegates in their respective party congresses.

The current exclusion of these officials, he said, was an “oversight” that needed to be corrected.

Senators, during the debate, expressed support for the bill, stating that consolidating elections into a single day would curb electoral malpractice, reduce voter fatigue, and enhance credibility in the electoral process.

thewyreng