2027: PAACA unveils proposed electoral reforms, demands sanction for cross-carpeting

Ahead of 2027 general elections, the Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA) has officially presented its comprehensive memorandum on electoral reforms to the public, demanding first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the electoral umpire. 

The Pro-democracy organisation also frowned against cross-carpeting by the legislators, asking for amendment to the constitution to prohibit such act.

Presenting the reports titled “We the people memorandum on electoral reforms 2025”, Thursday in Abuja, the Executive Director of PAACA, Chief Ezenwa Nwagwu, said the reform agenda is firmly built upon six guiding principles: achieving true independence for election management bodies, ensuring transparency at every stage of the electoral process, upholding voter security and the rule of law, fostering inclusive participation that genuinely reflects Nigeria’s rich diversity, conducting widespread and effective civic education, and facilitating the swift and fair resolution of all electoral disputes.

Chief Ezenwa said primary area of focus is insulating the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from undue executive influence.

According to him, the memorandum represents the culmination of extensive dialogue and input gathered from PAACA town halls conducted across 16 states, and it draws upon insights from authoritative reports such as the Justice Uwais Committee Report, Afrobarometer surveys, and NPSA recommendations.

On the need to ensure financial independence for INEC, he said: “to guarantee financial independence, INEC’s funds should be a first-line charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund, completely insulated from annual appropriation or executive control. This foundational change is expected to dramatically improve INEC’s credibility, enhance public confidence in the electoral process, and establish genuine institutional independence.

“Another critical constitutional reform is the establishment of a specialized Electoral Offences Tribunal. Presently, election-related offenses are cumbersome to prosecute within the ordinary federal or state high courts, leading to severe delays and backlogs.”

To enhance efficiency and reduce instability, PAACA recommended the simultaneous conduct of all elections on the same day.

“Our proposal entails amending relevant sections of the Constitution and the Electoral Act to mandate that all executive and legislative elections at both national and state levels be conducted on a single designated day, for instance, the third Saturday in February of every election year.”

On the issue of cross-carpeting by legislators, PAACA said:” Our proposed amendment to the Constitution states that a member of the legislature who defects from the party under which they were elected shall automatically forfeit their seat, with exceptions only for instances of loss of party membership through expulsion or party merger.”

It also advocated for the formal recognition of the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) Portal within the Electoral Act.

“Our proposed amendment would insert a new subsection into Section 60, formalizing IREV as the official repository for real-time upload and public viewing of polling unit results for all elections conducted by the Commission.”