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….”Go Home For Christmas, But Don’t Go Home At The Expense Of Your Vote” — SERG
….As Group Demands Urgent Voter Mobility Assessment, Interstate Security Measures
The South East Revival Group (SERG) has raised the alarm over the January 16, 2027 date fixed for the Presidential and National Assembly elections, warning that the timing could inadvertently disenfranchise thousands of registered voters who travel home for Christmas and must return to their places of work before coming back again to vote.
SERG, in a statement issued at the weekend by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Agu Chineme, said the proximity of the election to the Christmas and New Year festivities could create serious voter-mobility challenges, particularly for Nigerians from the South-East who live, work or study outside their states of registration.
The group described the situation as a potential “double journey” problem, noting that voters who travel to their ancestral communities for Christmas could be forced to make two separate long-distance journeys within a short period — first returning to their places of work and subsequently travelling back to their registered polling units for the January 16 election.
SERG warned that the financial, logistical and security implications of such movements could discourage some eligible voters from returning to cast their ballots.
The group, however, was careful to state that it was not accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately choosing the date to disadvantage the South-East or any other region.
Rather, SERG said its concern was about ensuring that the electoral timetable does not unintentionally create barriers that undermine citizens’ constitutional right to participate in elections.
“An election date should not merely be legally valid; it should also be practically accessible to the citizens whose participation gives democratic elections their legitimacy,” SERG said.
“Where the timing of an election creates foreseeable barriers to voter mobility, it is the responsibility of all stakeholders to identify those barriers early and develop practical measures to minimise their effect.”
Christmas Homecoming May Become Electoral Trap
According to the group, the traditional Christmas homecoming could become an electoral challenge for voters whose polling units are located hundreds of kilometres away from their current places of residence.
SERG said many Nigerians traditionally return to their home states during the festive season before resuming work in January.
With the election scheduled for January 16, the group said voters could face the difficult choice of returning to their workplaces after Christmas and then paying again to travel back to their polling units.
It warned that rising transportation costs, accommodation expenses, employment obligations and security concerns could make the second journey impossible for some voters.
“Go home for Christmas, but do not go home at the expense of your vote,” SERG advised.
“If returning home for Christmas and subsequently travelling back to your place of work will make it financially difficult or practically impossible to return again for the January 16 election, plan ahead.”
The group urged voters to begin making arrangements early and, where circumstances permit, consider remaining in the location where they are registered until after voting.
SERG stressed that its advice was not intended to discourage Christmas celebrations or family reunions.
Instead, it said voters should ensure that festive-season travel does not inadvertently cost them their democratic voice.
“Christmas homecoming must not become electoral absence,” the group warned.
SERG Demands Urgent Voter Mobility Assessment
SERG called on INEC and relevant government agencies to immediately conduct a comprehensive Voter Mobility and Electoral Accessibility Impact Assessment ahead of the 2027 elections.
The assessment, according to the group, should determine how Christmas and New Year population movements are likely to affect voters registered in one state but living, working or studying in another.
It said the exercise should examine transportation availability and costs, interstate security, accommodation, employment obligations, school calendars and other factors that could affect a voter’s ability to reach a designated polling unit.
SERG said the assessment should be national in scope and not treated as a South-East-only demand.
“Every Nigerian voter deserves a realistic opportunity to reach his or her polling unit, vote safely and return home. Electoral accessibility must therefore be treated as a national democratic priority,” the group stated.
Group Wants Security Along Interstate Routes
SERG also called for enhanced security along major interstate highways and transportation corridors in the period leading to the election.
The group argued that voter security should not begin and end at polling units, insisting that citizens must also be protected while travelling to exercise their civic rights.
It further urged INEC to engage political parties, civil society organisations, transport operators, traditional institutions, community leaders, employers and security agencies in developing a comprehensive voter-access plan.
Nine-Point Plan To Protect Voters
To address the concerns, SERG called for immediate implementation of nine measures.
- Voter Mobility Assessment: INEC should urgently assess the potential impact of the January 16 date on voter movement.
- Christmas Migration Study: Authorities should examine how festive-season travel could affect voters registered outside their current locations.
- Early Public Education: Voters should be informed early about the electoral timetable and its implications for festive travel.
- Stakeholder Engagement: INEC should engage South-East communities and other affected stakeholders on voter-access challenges.
- National Voter-Access Strategy: Authorities should develop a comprehensive plan addressing transportation, security, employment and information barriers.
- Interstate Security: Security should be strengthened along major transportation routes before and during the election.
- Workplace Flexibility: Employers and institutions should provide reasonable flexibility for registered voters who need to travel to their polling units.
- Mobility Monitoring: A mechanism should be established for identifying and reporting voter-mobility problems before election day.
- Remedial Measures: Where credible evidence shows that significant and avoidable barriers exist, appropriate measures should be considered within the law.
“We Are Not Alleging Conspiracy”
SERG cautioned against ethnicising the debate, insisting that its intervention was based on the principle of equal access to the ballot.
The group said legitimate concerns over electoral accessibility should not automatically be interpreted as an attack on INEC or any political interest.
“Our position is simple: we are not alleging a conspiracy, nor are we imputing motives to INEC. We are asking a legitimate democratic question: will the January 16 election date maximise or minimise the ability of registered voters to participate?”
SERG said the answer should be established through evidence, consultation and practical planning rather than political speculation.
“One Missed Journey Can Become A Lost Vote”
The group also urged registered voters to verify their registration status, know the location of their polling units and assess their travel options well ahead of the election.
It warned voters against waiting until after the Christmas festivities before deciding how they would participate in the January 16 poll.
“Go home if you can. Celebrate with your families if you can. But do not allow Christmas travel to cost you your vote,” SERG said.
“If the choice is between making an expensive return journey that you cannot afford and planning ahead to remain where you are registered until you vote, make the decision that protects your democratic voice.”
“One missed journey can become a lost vote, and a lost vote is a lost voice.”
SERG maintained that the credibility of the 2027 election would depend not only on the integrity of the voting process but also on whether eligible Nigerians could realistically access their polling units.
“An election is truly inclusive when eligible citizens can reasonably reach their polling units, vote freely and safely, and have their votes counted,” the group concluded.
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