Presidency, APC Reject Opposition Claims on Electoral Act 2026

election in Nigeria

Presidency, APC Reject Opposition Claims on Electoral Act 2026

The Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have strongly pushed back against demands by opposition parties — notably the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) — to revisit or scrap the recently signed Electoral Act 2026. The opposition figures, including former Vice‑President Atiku Abubakar, former governors Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi and Rauf Aregbesola, had accused the law of being “skewed in favour of the APC” and vowed to resist its implementation by all lawful means. Their statements at a high‑profile news conference in Abuja sparked a fierce response from the Presidency and leading voices within the ruling party.

The opposition’s public rejection of the law, read by NNPP chairman Dr. Ahmed Ajuji after procedural disagreement over speaking rights, focused on what they described as anti‑democratic provisions that could undermine electoral transparency and the sanctity of the ballot. Central to their critique was a controversial amendment to Section 60(3) of the Act, which they claim grants “wide and undefined discretionary powers” to presiding officers and negates the purpose of electronic transmission of election results from polling units.

According to opposition representatives, the proviso allowing printed results on Form EC8A to be deemed valid where network challenges occur could open the door to manipulation and delay of electronic results. They pointed to public statements by the immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, noting that Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) equipment can operate offline with a success rate above 90 %, allowing results to be uploaded later when network availability improves.

READ ALSO:

The Presidency swiftly rejected the opposition’s claims, describing their statements as “reckless” and “spurious.” In a strongly worded counter‑statement, the government accused the ADC, NNPP and allied civil society actors of waging a “relentless war of disinformation” against both the National Assembly and the Tinubu‑led administration. The Presidency emphasised that the 2026 Electoral Act, signed into law by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, aims to improve electoral processes by allowing real‑time results transmission while recognising that network glitches remain a reality in many parts of the country.

According to the government, the law does not prohibit electronic transmission but provides a sensible backup mechanism that ensures election results are not invalidated simply because of temporary network outages. It noted that the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) is a public viewing system and not a collation centre, stressing that the primary source of validation remains the official Form EC8A.

The Presidency also defended other changes in the Act, including the removal of delegate‑based primaries in favour of direct primaries and consensus voting, which it described as democratic innovations that empower party members rather than party elites. Government spokespeople said it was “perplexing” that opposition parties would criticise reforms that bring Nigeria closer to international practices — citing similar candidate selection processes in countries like the United States.

Responding to claims that the law was designed to favour the APC, the Presidency reiterated that Nigeria remains a vibrant multiparty democracy, with more than a dozen legally registered political parties. It called on critics to focus on strengthening their organisational structures rather than blaming the legal framework for their challenges, accusing some opposition leaders of using “cheap shots” and political rhetoric to mask their own internal weaknesses.

The ruling party’s leadership also weighed in. APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru said the opposition’s resistance to the law was “feeble and illogical,” while National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka described the opposition’s fears over internet connectivity as exaggerated performances aimed at “playing to the gallery” despite understanding the realities of technological limitations in Nigeria’s electoral environment.

Meanwhile, members of the House of Representatives of Nigeria acknowledged that calls for review and amendment of the Electoral Act fall within legislative norms. Deputy Spokesman Phillip Agbese said that while the law is a work in progress, any future changes should be pursued through a proper amendment bill that follows due legislative process, stressing that amendments must enhance transparency, credibility and public confidence rather than serve partisan interests.

House Spokesman Akintunde Rotimi also emphasised that late‑stage amendments so close to the 2027 general elections could introduce avoidable complexity into planning, logistics, training, procurement and voter education. He noted that the current provisions were the outcome of broad stakeholder engagement and bipartisan collaboration in the National Assembly, and that any effort to amend the law must maintain administrative stability for the electoral body.

The ongoing controversy over the Electoral Act 2026 underscores the high stakes in Nigeria’s political landscape as the nation prepares for its next general elections. With legal battles, political rhetoric and public debate now deeply intertwined with electoral reform, the dispute over the law’s interpretation and implementation is likely to remain a focus of national discourse in the months ahead.