The Presidency on Thursday dismissed allegations by opposition parties that President Bola Tinubu is seeking to undermine Nigeria’s democracy through the newly signed Electoral Act 2026, describing the claims as “reckless” and “spurious.”
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency said some opposition figures, led by the African Democratic Congress and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, had gathered in Abuja to make what it termed unfounded allegations against the President and the APC-led Federal Government.
“Some prominent opposition figures, led by the ADC and NNPP, gathered in Abuja today and made reckless, spurious allegations against President Bola Tinubu and the APC-led Federal Government,” the statement said.
The Presidency accused the opposition, particularly the ADC, of turning “irresponsible political statements into an art form, all in a bid to attract cheap headlines and mislead the public.”
It further alleged that the opposition, “working in cahoots with some civil society groups, has waged a relentless war of disinformation against the National Assembly and the administration, making false allegations in a bid to impose their will on Nigerians and the legislature.”
The reaction follows a press conference in Abuja where leaders of the ADC and NNPP called on the National Assembly to begin a fresh amendment process of the Electoral Act 2026.
Speaking on behalf of the opposition, NNPP National Chairman, Ajuji Ahmed, urged lawmakers to expunge what he described as objectionable provisions in the law, which was recently passed by the National Assembly and assented to by President Tinubu on February 18.
Under the Electoral Act 2022, parties could adopt direct primaries, indirect primaries through delegates, or consensus arrangements. However, the Electoral Act 2026 restricts parties to direct primaries and consensus options, shortens campaign timelines, and provides that funding for the Independent National Electoral Commission be released six months before elections instead of 12 months.
Responding to concerns over result transmission, the Presidency stated that “in response to the realities of our country, the National Assembly enacted an amendment to the Electoral Act that allows for the real-time transmission of election results and the use of Form EC8A as a backup in the event of network failure.”
It described the opposition’s claim that Form EC8A creates a loophole for manipulation as “illogical and a needless tantrum by those who should know better.”
“The 2026 Electoral Act does not prohibit real-time transmission; it simply stipulates that if transmission fails, the result recorded on Form EC8A shall be deemed valid,” the statement said.
Clarifying the role of the INEC Results Viewing Portal, it added, “IReV is not a collation centre; it is a platform for uploading results for public viewing. The primary source for validating election results remains Form EC8.”
On the issue of party primaries, the Presidency expressed surprise at the opposition’s rejection of direct primaries.
“We find it perplexing why the opposition is crying over the inclusion of direct primaries and consensus voting, rather than the corrupt delegate system they prefer,” it said, adding that “no aspirant should fear participation by party members in the primaries.”
Drawing a comparison with the United States, the statement noted, “This is how candidates are picked by party members in the United States, where we borrowed the presidential system of government.”
The Presidency also rejected claims that the National Assembly ignored public opinion in passing the law.
“The NASS did not ignore the public. For two years, according to the Senate majority leader, the NASS listened to various stakeholders, technical experts, and millions of Nigerians who expressed their views on the risk of technical failure that could invalidate the entire election,” it stated.
Dismissing allegations that President Tinubu intends to create a one-party state, the statement said, “Nigeria is a vibrant multiparty democracy, with more than a dozen registered parties, including ADC and NNPP.”
It added, “President Tinubu is a democrat—an opposition leader who, alongside like-minded individuals, led the charge to defeat the PDP in 2015.”
According to the Presidency, “the new Electoral Act, signed by President Tinubu, is a significant improvement over the repealed law, closing loopholes the opposition leaders sought to exploit for manipulation.”
“In summary,” the statement concluded, “the opposition is merely crying foul because the rules of the game have been adjusted to prevent manipulation, such as result hacking, which they have allegedly perfected,” urging ADC and NNPP leaders to “spend more time on introspection and fix their own mess.”
