Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, Dr Sam Amadi, has cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against altering its recently released election timetable to accommodate religious concerns, warning that such a move would create a “slippery slope” and further weaken public trust in the electoral process.
Speaking on Arise News on Sunday, Amadi said while INEC’s decision to proceed using the 2022 Electoral Act amid pending amendments may generate legal and procedural uncertainties, the commission was right to work with the law currently in force.
“INEC has to plot its timeline from the Constitution — the window within which elections must be concluded before inauguration,” he said. “It is right for INEC to plan on the basis of the status quo law, while hoping that nothing significant changes in the legislative pipeline.”
Amadi noted that proposed amendments — including debates over direct versus indirect primaries and electronic transmission of results — could significantly affect INEC’s guidelines and party procedures.
“If you rule out indirect primaries, it has implications for the regulations INEC will craft. It affects party constitutions and how they conduct conventions,” he explained. “Everything builds on this unknown — what eventually comes out of the National Assembly.”
He criticised what he described as excessive focus on expenditure rather than institutional clarity, warning that persistent legislative and judicial ambiguities were eroding confidence in elections.
“Some uncertainties are judicially caused. Some are caused by what the National Assembly is doing. Ultimately, that weakens trust in elections,” he said, citing low voter turnout in recent polls as evidence of growing public scepticism.
Responding to calls — including from political figures — for a review of election dates that may coincide with Ramadan, Amadi rejected the argument as untenable.
“This adds another layer of pressure on INEC, which is already walking a tightrope,” he said. “We have conducted elections during Ramadan before. Offices do not shut down during Ramadan. People go to work. Footballers play matches. So why would walking to vote and returning home be a problem?”
He warned that conceding to such demands would open the door to endless exemptions.
“It will be a slippery slope. Anybody can come up with exceptional claims. Nigeria is a fasting country — Christians observe Lent, some Pentecostals fast for extended periods. Elections are civic duties and should not be framed as extraordinary burdens.”
On Nigeria’s persistently low voter turnout — with barely 25 per cent of registered voters participating in the last general election — Amadi said the crisis was rooted in deep distrust.
“Contrast Nigeria with Ghana, where turnout exceeds 60 per cent. In Nigeria, despite intense campaigns and heavy spending, people withdraw at voting time,” he said.
He identified two dominant narratives discouraging participation: that votes do not count, and that citizens may be prevented from voting through intimidation.
“People want votes counted, and they want counted votes to count. It’s two different things,” he said. “Electronic transmission is meant to cure that confidence gap — so what you see on the platform is what is declared.”
He added: “Nigerians have internalised two dangerous narratives: first, votes don’t count; second, they may not even allow you to vote. If this continues, we may see turnout drop to 15 per cent — perhaps the lowest in Africa.”
Amadi also pointed to political rhetoric and violence as key drivers of voter apathy.
“When citizens hear statements suggesting only certain candidates will be allowed to win, they begin to feel elections are predetermined,” he said. “There are traders who say they won’t vote because they fear reprisals. That sense of coercion discourages participation.”
He referenced incidents of violence in previous elections, arguing that failure by security agencies to act decisively had reinforced perceptions of impunity.
“Citizens came out to vote and were attacked. When that happens and nothing is done, people retreat,” he said.
Beyond electoral mechanics, Amadi said broader governance failures were compounding voter disengagement.
“People are helpless and hopeless because they don’t see results. There is a failure in governance — citizens are not feeling the impact of democracy,” he said.
He argued that restoring participation would require at least one credible electoral cycle that delivers both transparent outcomes and tangible performance in office.
“If we get one election cycle right — where the votes clearly match the declared results and those elected deliver at least above-average performance — you will see civic consciousness reignited.”
Until then, he warned, voter education campaigns alone would not reverse the trend.
“You can preach civic duty all you want. But people are not fools. They read the environment. They look at what happens after they vote.”
For Amadi, rebuilding trust — not shifting dates or multiplying reforms — remains the central challenge for Nigeria’s electoral future.
Boluwatife Enome
Follow us on:
