Opposition Leaders Demand Amendments to Electoral Act

On Thursday, opposition leaders from major political parties in Nigeria convened in Abuja to express their dissatisfaction with the recently signed Electoral Act, which President Bola Tinubu enacted on February 18. The leaders, represented by Ahm Ajuji of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), called for the National Assembly to commence fresh amendments to the act, arguing that it does not reflect the aspirations of Nigerians.

They highlighted concerns that the act, particularly Section 60(3), grants undefined discretionary powers to the presidency regarding the transmission of election results. Ajuji referenced data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), indicating that 95% of the country has 2G coverage, and noted the previous success of the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) under former INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, which achieved a 90% success rate nationwide.

The opposition leaders questioned the timing of the bill's passage and criticized the lack of civil society participation in protests against it, emphasizing the need for a strong voice against what they termed "obnoxious policies" of the federal government.