Senate’s Delay In Amending Electoral Act Threatens 2027 Polls – Atiku, CSO

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has alleged deliberate attempt to rig the 2027 election long before the ballots are cast following the delay by the Senate to finalise the amendment to the Electoral Act.

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Similarly, a civil society organisation known as CREAP Africa Initiative has expressed concern over the continued delay by the Senate in concluding amendments to the Electoral Act 2022.

Atiku, in a personally signed statement, said 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 of petitioners to advance their cases in the courts.

He added, “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 future 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.

“The recent report by FIJ serves as both an indictment of the Senate and a timely call for legislative responsibility.

“The credibility of the 2027 general elections hinges on the urgency with which the Senate treats this crucial bill.

“It is, therefore, imperative that the Senate finalises the amendments and ensures the updated law governs the conduct of the 2027 elections. Anything short of this is a deliberate attempt to rig the election long before the ballots are cast,” Atiku said.

In like manner, executive director, CREAP Africa Initiative, Sylvanus Udoenoh, said the delay posed a grave threat to the credibility, transparency and legitimacy of the 2027 general elections.

Udoenoh, in a statement, said the 2023 general elections exposed fundamental weaknesses in Nigeria’s electoral legal framework.

He said loopholes in the Electoral Act 2022 enabled widespread irregularities, weakened the integrity of result collation, and created near-insurmountable barriers for aggrieved candidates and citizens seeking redress through the courts.

“These deficiencies undermined public confidence in the democratic process and left many Nigerians feeling disenfranchised. If Nigeria is serious about correcting the failures of 2023, the legal framework governing elections must be urgently reviewed and strengthened. Electoral reforms delayed are electoral reforms denied.

“CREAP Africa Initiative is particularly disturbed by growing indications that the Senate is deliberately frustrating the passage of critical amendments to the Electoral Act. Recent investigative reporting by civic accountability platforms, including AdvoKC, FIJ, has further reinforced concerns about legislative inaction and lack of political will to safeguard electoral integrity.

“The credibility of the 2027 general elections depends largely on whether these amendments are passed in time and implemented effectively. Any failure to do so will amount to engineering electoral outcomes long before a single vote is cast,”Udoenoh stated.

He called on the Senate to treat the Electoral Act amendment bill as a national priority and conclude the legislative process without further delay.

Udoenoh insisted that the amended law must mandate transparent, technology-enabled result transmission, strengthen safeguards against manipulation, and ensure that electoral offences attract clear and enforceable penalties.

“The law must remove procedural bottlenecks that make it nearly impossible for petitioners to prove their cases, and ensure that all electoral disputes are concluded before winners are sworn into office.

“Nigerians deserve to know where their representatives stand on electoral reform. Senators must be held accountable for any action or inaction that undermines democratic credibility.

“The refusal or delay in amending the Electoral Act is not legislative caution—it is legislative sabotage,” said Sylvanus Udoenoh, Executive Director of CREAP Africa Initiative. “No democracy can survive when the rules of competition are deliberately left broken.

“As a civil society organization committed to democratic governance, civic participation, and electoral integrity, CREAP Africa Initiative reiterates that the future of Nigeria’s democracy cannot be negotiated behind closed doors or sacrificed for partisan advantage.

“The Senate must act, urgently and responsibly. The integrity of the 2027 elections, and Nigeria’s democratic future, depend on it,” he added.