Yoruba Ronu Forum Critiques NASS on Electoral Act 2026

The Yoruba Ronu Forum has expressed strong criticism towards the National Assembly regarding the omission of certificate forgery from the amendments to the Electoral Act 2026. Akin Malaolu, the president of the forum, highlighted concerns about Section 138(1) of the amended law, which limits electoral disputes to two grounds: claims of invalidity due to corrupt practices and non-compliance with electoral provisions.

The forum is particularly alarmed by Section 138(3), which introduces penalties of not less than N5 million for legal practitioners and N10 million for petitions initiated outside the permitted grounds. The removal of certificate forgery from the list of admissible grounds for petitions represents a significant shift from previous electoral laws, allowing challenges based on other criteria.

Malaolu urged the leadership to conduct a thorough review of the new provisions, warning that the current legal framework could foster dishonesty and misrepresentation, particularly in the education sector. The forum emphasized the need to uphold legal and moral standards to protect Nigeria's democratic institutions.