Leaders of the opposition, including Atiku Abubakar, former vice president; Peter Obi, former Labour Party presidential candidate: Rotimi Amaechi, former Rivers State governor, among others, on Thursday mounted a coordinated attack on the Electoral Act 2026, calling on the National Assembly to immediately commence a fresh amendment process to remove what they described as “anti-democratic and manipulative provisions.”
The demand was made at a press conference held at the Lagos/Osun Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Abuja, where top figures of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), alongside other opposition stakeholders, addressed journalists.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, NNPP National Chairman, Ajuji Ahmed, urged lawmakers to expunge all objectionable sections of the law, which was recently passed by the National Assembly and assented to on February 18 by President Bola Tinubu.
Ahmed alleged that certain provisions in the Act were deliberately inserted to weaken electoral transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We state unequivocally that the new Electoral Act is anti-democratic, and its implementation will undermine electoral transparency and the sanctity of the ballot,” he said. “Free, fair and credible elections are the bedrock of participatory democracy, and any attempt to erode them must be resisted.”
Dispute Over Electronic Transmission
Central to the opposition’s criticism is the amendment to Section 60(3) of the Act, which they argue grants sweeping discretionary powers to presiding officers and weakens the mandatory electronic transmission of results from polling units.
Ahmed contended that the proviso, which allows for delays in electronic transmission on the grounds of network failure, creates room for manipulation.
According to him, the justification of network challenges contradicts public statements made by former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials.
He cited the immediate past INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, who had maintained that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) operates offline with over 90 per cent success rate nationwide and can transmit results once network connectivity is restored. He also referenced comments by former INEC Commissioner, Festus Okoye, asserting that internet access is available across polling units in Nigeria.
The opposition further relied on data from the Nigerian Communications Commission, which indicates that as of 2023, Nigeria had over 95 per cent 2G network coverage, more than 159 million internet subscribers and over 220 million telephone subscribers.
They argued that these figures undermine claims that poor connectivity justifies weakening mandatory real-time transmission of election results.
Primaries Controversy
The opposition also faulted the amendment to Section 84 of the Act, which restricts political parties to direct primaries or consensus in selecting candidates.
Under the previous Electoral Act 2022, parties were permitted to adopt direct primaries, indirect primaries through delegates, or consensus arrangements. However, the Electoral Act 2026 eliminates the indirect primary option.
Ahmed described the change as an encroachment on the constitutional autonomy of political parties to manage their internal affairs.
“There is nothing undemocratic about indirect primaries, which create an electoral college for the selection of candidates in an objective, transparent and orderly manner,” he said.
He argued that the National Assembly cannot rely on Section 228(b) of the Constitution to impose only two modes of nomination on political parties.
“Our position is clear: the mode of nominating candidates should remain strictly the internal affair of political parties,” he added.
Call for Fresh Amendment
The opposition leaders accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of attempting to create a legal framework that could be exploited to manipulate the 2027 elections, alleging that the speed with which the law was enacted reflected undue haste.
“We demand that the National Assembly immediately commence a fresh amendment to the Electoral Act 2026 to remove all obnoxious provisions and ensure the law reflects the will and aspirations of Nigerians for a free, fair, transparent and credible electoral process,” Ahmed stated.
Among other opposition figures present at the briefing were former Senate President and ADC National Chairman David Mark and NNPP chieftain Buba Galadima.
Also in attendance were ADC National Secretary Rauf Aregbesola; former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi; ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi; Senator Dino Melaye; former ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu; and former Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke, among other stakeholders.
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