BY UCHECHI OKPORIE
Nigeria’s major opposition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has publicly criticised the country’s Senate after lawmakers declined a key reform designed to strengthen electoral transparency.
The Senate rejected an amendment to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill that would have made the electronic transmission of election results mandatory, a reform widely seen as a safeguard against manipulation.
In a statement issued on Thursday and signed by the party’s spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC described the Senate’s decision as a deliberate attempt to weaken democratic safeguards and create conditions conducive to future electoral malpractice.
The party argued that mandatory electronic reporting from polling units to a central digital platform would significantly improve credibility and public trust in Nigeria’s elections.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio clarified that the upper chamber did not entirely remove electronic transmission from the law but chose to retain the existing wording from the 2022 Electoral Act.
Under that provision, officials must transfer results “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission,” leaving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) some flexibility in how results are relayed.
Beyond the rejected electronic transmission clause, the ADC also criticised the Senate for voting against other proposed reforms, including measures to allow electronic download of voter cards, reduce the election notice period, and shorten the timeline for publishing candidates’ lists, all aimed at modernising Nigeria’s electoral framework.
The opposition party warned that by resisting these changes, lawmakers have missed an opportunity to restore voter confidence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
It has called on the conference committee overseeing the Electoral Act to revise the Senate’s version of the bill and adopt amendments that align with democratic principles and reflect the electorate’s will.
