The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed readiness to conduct presidential, parliamentary and governorship elections in Nigeria on a single day if the National Assembly will enact law endorsing it.

INEC’s Director of Operation, Adigun Hakeem, made the disclosure in his remarks at a Policy Dialogue on Single Day Election in Nigeria held in Abuja on Friday in furtherance to the recently held conference on Strengthening of Democracy in Nigeria.

The commission emphasised that though it is ready to execute the arrangement, it is however handicap to do so without the proclamations of the National Assembly which will spell out all activities and guidelines.

Adigun said: “INEC as a governing body cannot take a position on these issues for now. INEC’s primary assignment is to conduct free, fair and credible elections. All activities and guidelines are being spelt out by the National Assembly. So we don’t take a position.

“At the end of this meeting, the decision we arrive at will be submitted to the commission. We are here to participate and to listen to your position and your advocacy. Our interest is to be fair and conduct free and credible elections.

“At INEC, after every general election we go back to the drawing board, to review the election. For all the elections like the National Assembly and presidency, followed by the State Assembly and governorship, all the issues that came out during the last election are reviewed so that we improve on future elections.

“We are not sitting down at all. So what we are waiting for is law from the National Assembly. INEC cannot do it alone, all the stakeholders in election matters must come together and by the grace of God, we will submit the report of this meeting to the commission,” he assured.

In his contribution, the Executive Director of Partners for Electoral Reforms, Ezenwa Nwagwu, supported the single day conduct arrangement but warned that the difficult terrain and topography of certain parts of the country.

There are huge challenges, the America is not Nigeria. So the nature and complexity of the Nigerian politician and people I think it’s what we need to take into cognisant.

Number one, 176,974 pulling units is huge and the nature of topography of those places we are talking about. In a place like Taraba from Jalingo there are places you will go that take you almost seven hours.

“In Kebbi there are places you will go to by the time you vehicle stops, you used carmel and after that you use motorcycle to get to those places. So we’re not the same with USA, in dealing with those challenges we need to contextualise our environment we are living…

“I am talking about cost, the political illiteracy, five ballot boxes in one day what you are going to do is to sort that ballot. In many places people will put that of the House of Representatives into governorship. Nigeria is a place where people are in a hurry for results to come out. If you continue that sorting and you don’t react to them in the way they are looking at it then something has happened to the result.

“So, I am supporting that if we want to do single day election, there is more work that is pragmatic neither than just theoretical engagement,” he said.

The Resource person and a lecturer at Nile University, Abuja, Dr. Iroro S Izu, argued that: “the history of Nigeria’s culture of conducting general elections for several days is rooted in the country’s general culture of wastes— waste of time, energy, resources, manpower, and goodwill.

“It is a culture that de-emphasizes discipline and emphasizes recklessness with the assurance that when the chips are down, one has relatives, fathers, mothers, friends and acquaintances to run to. It is a culture that abuse faith, generosity and downplays seriousness, hard-work and sacred lifestyle. It is a culture of misprioritizations — celebrating quantity over quality,” he said. (Daily Sun)