By Lateef Ibrahim
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, The Patriots, a group of eminent elder statesmen, have called for urgent electoral reforms to allow for free and fair polls.
They specifically demanded that all national elections be held on the same date.
The call was part of the resolutions reached at the just concluded National Summit on the Future of Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy, held in Abuja between 16th and 17th July, 2025.
Peoples Daily reports that the 2025 National Summit led by former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, was convened by The Patriots, in collaboration with the Nigerian Political Summit Group, (NPSG).
A communique issued at the end of the 3-day summit, noted that free, fair and credible elections “are the real pillars of democracy”.
It, however, lamented that the current reality in the country “is a democracy that has been taken away from the control of voters, stressing that “elections are too costly and prone to fraud”.
According to the communique, “Billions of Naira are spent on recruitment of electoral officers, security agencies and logistics while the courts have become the real electors of leaders.
“Among other reforms, the Summit resolved therefore, that all elections be conducted in a single day, as this is cheaper, time saving and less prone to fraud.
“Brazil and Ghana are good examples of countries that have adopted single-day elections.”
The Summit also demanded amendment to the Electoral Act and relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) for Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, and electronic transmission of results in real time “to be made mandatory”.
The Summit equally resolved that the National Assembly must as a matter of urgency, arrive at a constitutional framework that will “return Nigeria to a truly federal system of government where the federating units will enjoy their autonomy as obtained in the First Republic and other genuine democracies of the World”.
“The Summit agreed that the current presidential system of government is too expensive, prone to abuse; constitutes a hindrance to peoples welfare and a major threat to the future of democracy in Nigeria,” the communique added.
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