The Senate on Thursday passed for second reading a bill seeking to amend the Electoral Act 2022, to provide for the conduct of all elections in one day.Daily Trust reports that the current Act provides for the conduct of Presidential and National Assembly elections in February, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections hold in March.The bill, sponsored by Senator Saliu Mustapha (APC, Kwara Central), is also seeking a shorter campaign period to cut cost of elections and provide legal framework for elected officeholders to serve as ad hoc delegates in party congresses.Leading the debate on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (SB.701), Senator Mustapha decried the rising financial burden of elections on the government, explaining that the cost of general elections had surged from N1.5 billion in 1999 to N350 billion in 2023.
The Kwara senator described 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," Mustapha argued.He said Nigeria must take a cue from countries like the United States, India, and Brazil, which he said have successfully implemented same-day elections, leading to a "more streamlined and cost-effective electoral process.
"Senator Mustapha noted that prolonged campaigns disrupt governance and fuel unnecessary political tension.He said another key amendment in the bill is 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.But Senator Adams Oshiomole, warned that "while the bill has good intentions, we must ensure that INEC is adequately prepared for the enormous task of conducting elections for all levels of government in one day."He also raised the possibility of several ballot papers in a day creating confusion to voters, especially the illiterate ones.
