Atiku Abubakar Calls for Urgent Electoral Act Reforms

Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of Nigeria, has called on the National Assembly to urgently amend the Electoral Act to address dangerous loopholes that could compromise electoral integrity ahead of the 2027 elections. In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Frank Shaibu, Atiku highlighted a specific provision in Section 63 of the Act that allows ballot papers without official marks to be counted at the discretion of electoral officers.

He warned that this creates a significant loophole that could be exploited, undermining public trust in the electoral system. Atiku emphasized that the integrity of every vote is crucial for democracy and criticized the retention of ambiguous provisions that could lead to voter disenfranchisement.

He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to tighten operational guidelines and called on the international community to monitor Nigeria's electoral framework closely. Atiku concluded by stressing that the National Assembly must act swiftly to correct these issues to ensure a credible electoral process.