The Patriots, a group of prominent elder statesmen, have demanded immediate electoral reforms to enable free and fair polling ahead of the general elections in 2027.
In particular, they insisted on holding all national elections on the same day.
The request was one of the decisions made at the just finished National Summit on the Future of Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy, which took place in Abuja on July 16–17, 2025.
According to BASEMEDIA NEWS, The Patriots, in partnership with the Nigerian Political Summit Group, or NPSG, organized the 2025 National Summit, which was presided over by former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku.
Free, fair, and credible elections “are the real pillars of democracy,” according to a statement released at the conclusion of the three-day conference.
However, it pointed out that “elections are too costly and prone to fraud,” and that the country’s actual reality “is a democracy that has been taken away from the control of voters.”
The statement claims that “the courts have become the true electors of leaders, while billions of Naira are spent on the recruitment of electoral officers, security agencies, and logistics.”
Therefore, among other measures, the Summit decided that all elections should be held in a single day because it is less expensive, time-consuming, and vulnerable to fraud.
“Ghana and Brazil are excellent examples of nations that have implemented one-day elections.”
The Summit also called for the Electoral Act and pertinent provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to be revised to include provisions for the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), electronic results transmission in real time, and BVAS “to be made mandatory.”
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” is another resolution that the Summit agreed the National Assembly must quickly draft.
According to the statement, “the Summit agreed that the current presidential system of government is too costly, prone to abuse, forms a hindrance to people’s welfare, and poses a serious threat to the future of democracy in Nigeria.”
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