Please Take It Back, Don’t Sign New Electoral Act, Igini Urges Tinubu

Former Resident Electoral Commissioner and constitutional lawyer, Mike Igini, has called on President Bola Tinubu to reject the recently passed Electoral Act (Repeal and Re‑Enactment) Bill 2026, warning that the current version could undermine Nigeria’s democracy.

Igini described the bill as a “recipe for chaos” and urged the President not to assent to it without critical reforms, particularly regarding the electronic transmission of election results from polling units. He stressed that failing to include mandatory e‑transmission could open the door to result manipulation during collation, echoing challenges from previous elections. The public expects transparency and credibility in elections. Any law that weakens these principles is dangerous,” Igini said during an interview with Arise Television. The controversy centers on the Senate’s decision to pass the bill without making real-time electronic transmission of results compulsory. While Senate President Godswill Akpabio defended the chamber’s position, citing technical concerns like network reliability, civil society organizations and youth groups have condemned the move, warning that it could erode public trust in the electoral process. Political parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have also criticized the manual collation provisions, saying they compromise the integrity of future elections. Igini further warned that without these reforms, some incumbents might exploit loopholes to influence results, potentially altering the outcome of the 2027 general elections.