The South East Revival Group (SERG) has raised concerns over the potential impact of the January 16, 2027 date fixed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the Presidential and National Assembly elections, warning that the timing could create significant voter-mobility challenges, particularly for citizens from the South-East who live and work outside their states of registration.
SERG stressed that its concern is not based on an allegation that the election date was deliberately selected to disadvantage the South-East or any other region, but on the need to ensure that electoral arrangements promote, rather than unintentionally obstruct, the constitutional right of eligible Nigerians to vote.
According to the group, the January 16 date comes shortly after the Christmas and New Year period, when millions of Nigerians, particularly those from the South-East, traditionally travel to their ancestral homes and communities for the festive season before returning to their places of work and residence.
SERG said the timing could create what it described as a potentially difficult “double journey” for voters who are registered in their home states but reside in other parts of the country.
A voter who travels home for Christmas may have to return to his or her place of work in early January and then undertake another long-distance journey back to the registered polling unit before January 16.
The group warned that such repeated journeys could impose serious financial, logistical and security burdens on ordinary citizens at a time when transportation costs, accommodation expenses and household economic pressures remain major considerations.
“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.”
SERG Urges INEC To Conduct Voter Mobility Impact Assessment
SERG therefore called on INEC and other relevant stakeholders to urgently undertake a comprehensive Voter Mobility and Electoral Accessibility Impact Assessment ahead of the 2027 elections.
The assessment, according to the group, should examine the likely movement of registered voters during and immediately after the Christmas and New Year holidays, particularly citizens who are registered in one state but live, work or study in another.
It should also consider transportation availability and costs, interstate security, accommodation, employment obligations, school and institutional calendars, and the practical ability of voters to travel to their designated polling units and return safely.
SERG said the exercise should not be viewed as a South-East-specific demand, but as part of a broader national effort to maximise voter participation and prevent avoidable disenfranchisement.
“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.
“Go Home For Christmas, But Do Not Go Home At The Expense Of Your Vote”
SERG also issued a direct appeal to sons and daughters of the South-East who are registered to vote in their home states but live and work in other parts of Nigeria.
The group urged them to begin making early and deliberate plans around the 2027 election rather than waiting until after the Christmas festivities before deciding how to vote.
“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. Where your circumstances permit, consider remaining in the location where you are registered until you have exercised your civic responsibility.”
SERG emphasised that the appeal is not a call for citizens to abandon their families, communities or traditional Christmas celebrations.
Rather, it is a strategic call for voters to understand the implications of their travel plans and ensure that the festive season does not inadvertently prevent them from participating in the election.
“Christmas homecoming must not become electoral absence. A voter should not discover after travelling hundreds of kilometres home that returning to the polling unit has become too expensive or practically impossible,” the group warned.
“Your vote is your voice. Do not allow transportation costs, return-to-work pressures or poor planning to determine whether your voice will be heard in 2027.”
Election Date Must Facilitate Voting, Not Complicate It
SERG maintained that the central question should not be whether January 16 is convenient for political parties or government institutions, but whether the electoral calendar gives eligible voters a reasonable opportunity to participate.
The group recalled that electoral planning must take into account circumstances that could affect voter participation, stressing that the same principle should apply to major seasonal movements of the population.
It urged INEC to engage political parties, civil society organisations, transport operators, traditional and community institutions, employers and security agencies in developing a comprehensive voter-access strategy.
SERG further called for strengthened security along major interstate routes and around transportation corridors during the period preceding the election, noting that voter security must extend beyond polling units to the journeys citizens undertake to reach them.
SERG’s Nine-Point Call To Action
SERG called on INEC and other stakeholders to:
1. Conduct an immediate Voter Mobility and Electoral Accessibility Impact Assessment on the January 16, 2027 election date.
2. Examine the likely effect of Christmas and New Year migration on voters registered outside their current places of residence.
3. Begin early public education on the election timetable and the practical implications for voters who travel during the festive season.
4. Engage South-East stakeholders and other affected communities in identifying voter-access challenges and practical solutions.
5. Develop a national voter-access strategy addressing transportation, security, information, employment and other mobility-related barriers.
6. Strengthen security arrangements along major interstate routes and transportation corridors before and during the election period.
7. Encourage employers and institutions to provide reasonable flexibility for registered voters who need to travel to their polling units.
8. Establish a mechanism for monitoring and reporting voter-mobility problems before election day.
9. Where credible evidence establishes that significant and avoidable barriers to participation exist, consider appropriate remedial measures within the framework of the law.
No Ethnicisation Of The Electoral Calendar
SERG cautioned against turning the debate into an ethnic confrontation, insisting that its intervention is rooted in democratic participation and equal access to the ballot.
The group said Nigerians from every region should be able to raise legitimate concerns about electoral accessibility without such concerns being interpreted as attacks on the electoral commission or any particular 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 determined by evidence, consultation and practical planning rather than political speculation.
It urged INEC to engage proactively with communities and voter groups before the election rather than waiting until logistical problems emerge on election day.
Protect The Vote, Protect Democracy
SERG finally urged Nigerians, particularly voters whose polling units are far from their current places of residence, to treat the 2027 election as a civic responsibility requiring early planning.
The group said citizens should verify their registration status, understand the location of their polling units, assess their travel options and make arrangements early enough to avoid being caught between Christmas travel and election-day obligations.
“Go home if you can. Celebrate with your families if you can. But do not allow Christmas travel to cost you your vote.
“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 stressed that the credibility of the 2027 election will ultimately depend not only on the integrity of the voting process, but also on how many eligible Nigerians are realistically able to participate in it.
“An election is truly inclusive when eligible citizens can reasonably reach their polling units, vote freely and safely, and have their votes counted. Every barrier that can be identified and addressed before election day should be addressed,” the group concluded.
Hon. Agu Chineme
National Publicity Secretary
Saturday, September 5, 2026
