By Fatima Saka, Abuja
A group of governance experts and technocrats recently in Abuja called for far-reaching electoral reforms, including the introduction of staggered elections, a six-year single tenure for the President and Governors, and new integrity standards for state electoral bodies, to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy and reduce electoral manipulation.
Speaking during a presentation before the Joint National Assembly Committee on Electoral Matters, Dr. Aminu Abdurrahman Anas, who led the delegation of the Council for Good Governance, Institutional Management and Administrative Reforms, said the proposals were aimed at improving transparency, reducing costs, and enhancing voters’ participation in future elections.
According to him, Nigeria could draw lessons from India, the world’s largest democracy — which successfully conducts elections in phases, achieving voter turnout as high as 84 percent.
“Nigeria can adapt the Indian model of staggered elections to minimize manipulation and encourage greater participation,” Dr. Anas stated. “With over 94 million registered voters and barely 30 percent turnout in the last general election, staggered elections could make the process more efficient and inclusive.”
The council proposed three key reforms: Staggered Elections: Conduct elections in phases, either by government arm, executive and legislative, or in a way that avoids the “bandwagon effect” where presidential results influence subsequent polls.
Single Six-Year Tenure: The President and Governors should serve only one six-year term to reduce the pressure of re-election and the financial burden of repeated campaigns. Legislators, he added, could serve two terms of six years each.And
Reform of State Electoral Commissions: To ensure credibility in local government elections, the council proposed that state Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) should be chaired by retired Supreme Court justices and have retired Permanent Secretaries as secretaries.
Dr. Anas also raised concerns about political cross-carpeting, where elected officials defect from one party to another before the end of their term.
He recommended that such moves be restricted to the last six months of an official’s tenure, saying it was unfair for politicians to abandon the parties that sponsored them to victory.
“When a party gives you a platform to win and you defect midway, it undermines the people who worked for that mandate,” he said. “If defection must happen, let it be within the last six months of your tenure.”
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The group maintained that the proposed reforms would promote accountability, curb electoral violence, and make governance more people-focused.
The Joint Committee on Electoral Matters is currently reviewing submissions from stakeholders as part of the ongoing process to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral framework ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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