Senate President Godswill Akpabio has pushed back hard against critics dragging the National Assembly over changes to the Electoral Act, insisting Nigerians are arguing over a law that hasn’t even been completed.
Speaking in Abuja, Akpabio said the outrage surrounding electronic transmission of election results is based on half information and wrong assumptions, stressing that the Senate is still in the middle of the amendment process.
According to him, nothing should be treated as final until the bill passes all legislative stages — including Votes and Proceedings — where errors can still be corrected or clarified.
“People are already debating it on TV,” he said, “but they don’t understand how lawmaking works.”
On the hot issue of electronic transmission, Akpabio denied claims that the Senate removed it entirely. What lawmakers questioned, he explained, was the insistence on “real-time” transmission.
His worry? Nigeria’s reality.
Akpabio warned that forcing real-time transmission could backfire badly in areas plagued by poor network coverage or insecurity. If results can’t be transmitted immediately due to network failure, he said, politicians could rush to court to invalidate entire elections.
“That would mean people in those areas lose their votes — through no fault of theirs,” he argued.
He added that INEC should be allowed flexibility to decide how and when results are transmitted, based on infrastructure and security conditions, rather than being boxed in by rigid legal language.
The Senate President also reminded critics that electronic transmission is meant to support, not replace, the existing manual collation process already recognised by law.
Akpabio further noted that the bill hasn’t even gone through the full bicameral process yet, as differences between the Senate and House versions still need harmonisation.
Calling the backlash premature, he urged Nigerians to allow the legislative process run its course.
“Democracy is not guided by passion alone,” he said, “but by principles.”
He also pointed out that the current Electoral Act — now under criticism — produced competitive elections in 2023, including losses suffered by the then ruling party in major states.
Bottom line from Akpabio: electoral reform must match Nigeria’s reality, not just sound good on paper.
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