Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Senate for delaying amendments to the Electoral Act, warning that the inaction could undermine efforts to reform Nigeria’s electoral process and threaten the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
He said the failure to promptly review the law has exposed the system to the same weaknesses that marred the 2023 elections, allowing electoral malpractice to thrive and making it difficult for aggrieved parties to secure justice through the courts.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Atiku said the recent report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) stands as a damning indictment of the Senate’s inaction and a timely reminder of its legislative duty to the nation.
He stressed that the credibility of the 2027 elections depends largely on the speed and seriousness with which the Senate addresses the proposed amendments to the Electoral Act.
According to him, it is imperative that the legislature concludes the amendment process without further delay and ensures that the revised law is in force ahead of the 2027 polls.
Atiku warned that any failure to do so would amount to a calculated effort to compromise the integrity of the elections long before Nigerians head to the ballot boxes.
The statement read in part, “A major setback to the 2023 elections is the loopholes in the Electoral Act 2022 that paved the way for the brazen rigging of that election, and the near-impossibility for petitioners to advance their cases in the courts.
“It is imperative that if the mistakes of the 2023 election are to be corrected, the legal instrument for the conduct of the 2027 and subsequent elections needs to be reviewed.
“But as things stand, it has become obvious that the Senate is determined to frustrate the passage of amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act.”
