• Seeks deeper UN partnership to strengthen polls
• Opposition parties accuse APC of plot to rig 2027, urge N’Assembly to begin fresh Electoral Act amendment
• We’re battle-ready for Osun, Ekiti polls, ADC Southwest caucus declares

While leaders of Nigeria’s major opposition political parties, yesterday, mounted a blistering attack on the freshly signed Electoral Act 2026, describing it as anti-democratic with a rousing call on the National Assembly to begin a fresh process to amend the one-week old document, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) revised its 2027 election timetable to accommodate the adjustments introduced by lawmakers to the repealed Electoral Act of 2022.

Bowing to pressures from Muslim faithful over the conflict in the earlier proposed date for the 2027 general elections with Ramadan, INEC has now fixed January 16 for Presidential and National Assembly elections, while Governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections will be held on February 6. The Commission had earlier fixed February 20 for the Presidential and National Assembly Elections and March 6 for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections pursuant to the Electoral Act, 2022.

National Commissioner, Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, in a statement issued last night in Abuja said the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026, which introduced adjustments to statutory timelines governing pre-election and electoral activities, made the commission review and realigned the schedule to ensure full compliance with the new legal framework.

He stated that under the approved schedule of activities, conduct of party primaries, including dispute resolution arising from primaries, will commence on April 23, 2026 and end on May 30, 2026. Presidential and National Assembly campaigns will begin on August 19, 2026, while Governorship and State Houses of Assembly campaigns will commence on September 9, 2026.

Haruna also announced that the Osun State Governorship election, earlier fixed for August 8, 2026, has been rescheduled to August 15, 2026. He added that while some activities in respect of the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections have already been conducted, the remaining activities will now be implemented strictly in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2026.

According to him, the revised dates are consistent with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2026.

Opposition parties want National Assembly to begin fresh amendments
EARLIER, the opposition politicians, mainly drawn from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) alleged that the hurriedly signed electoral framework was deliberately designed by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the 2027 general elections.

Speaking on behalf of the opposition at a press conference in Abuja yesterday, attended by ADC National Chairman, David Mark, as well as Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi and Peter Obi, the NNPP National Chairman, Ajuji Ahmed, urged lawmakers to expunge all objectionable provisions contained in the Act.

Under the Electoral Act 2022, political parties were permitted to nominate candidates through direct primaries involving all registered members, indirect primaries conducted by delegates, or consensus arrangements reached by party leaders. However, the Electoral Act 2026, passed by the National Assembly and assented to by President Bola Tinubu on February 18, restricts parties to only direct primaries and consensus options.

In addition, the new law shortens campaign periods and timelines for primaries, while funding for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will now be released six months before an election instead of the previous 12 months.

Ahmed stated that opposition leaders view certain provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, which was signed into law by Tinubu with what they described as undue haste, as an alleged deliberate move by the APC-led administration to undermine the will of the people ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He said: “We therefore state unequivocally that the new Electoral Act is anti-democratic, and its implementation will undermine electoral transparency and the sanctity of the ballot, which are fundamental to free, fair and credible elections and the bedrock of participatory democracy.

“The introduction of the proviso in Section 60(3), which allows wide and undefined discretionary powers to the presiding officer, overrides and negates the purpose of introducing electronic transmission of election results from polling units. This negation is unambiguously intended to provide a blank cheque to those who seek to manipulate election results by delaying the electronic transmission of results from the polling units to the IReV on the pretext of network failure.

“The premise of the proviso in Section 60(3) is the unavailability or possibility of network failure. We find this premise dubious and inconsistent with reality. The immediate past INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, stated on record that the BVAS equipment, which operates offline, had worked with over a 90 per cent success rate across the nation, and in the event of network failure at the point of transmission, the transmitted results would be delivered successfully whenever the network becomes available.”

Ahmed added that the accounts of the two INEC officials were strongly corroborated by data available in the public domain. He said: “According to the Nigerian Communications Commission, as of 2023, Nigeria had achieved more than 95 per cent 2G coverage, which is more than sufficient for the transmission of election results from polling units.

The coalition further described the recent Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections as a “test-run” of what it called the APC’s rigging template for the next general elections. They alleged discrepancies between votes recorded and accredited voters in some councils and condemned the polls as fraudulent.

The opposition also expressed concern over what it termed a historic low voter turnout in the FCT elections, with figures ranging between 7.2 per cent in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and about 15 per cent in other area councils. They described the trend as a vote of no confidence in the electoral system and a sign of growing public cynicism.

Tinubu: I’m accused of killing opposition in Nigeria, but I’ve no gun
PRESIDENT Tinubu has disclosed how he was accused of killing the opposition in Nigeria despite not having a licence to own a gun. Tinubu made the remark while dismissing accusations linking him to efforts to undermine the opposition, stating that critics were entitled to their views.

Speaking during an interfaith breaking of fast (Iftar) with senators at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday night, the president denied any wrongdoing.

Tinubu said he does not fault individuals who choose to leave what he described as a “sinking ship,” acknowledging the challenging period Nigeria is facing. He cited terrorism and banditry as major threats causing significant disruption across the country.

The President urged political leaders to embrace unity in line with the vision of Nigeria’s founding fathers, emphasising the need to strengthen constitutional democracy as a means of fostering national cohesion. He stressed that the nation’s democratic framework does not advocate conflict but cooperation, adding that it is encouraging to see leaders working in harmony despite differences.

He said, “Critics must talk; when they accused me of killing the opposition, I didn’t have a gun. I could have given myself a license when I have the authority.”

Southwest ADC declares readiness for Osun, Ekiti polls
MEANWHILE, the ADC Southwest caucus has said it is fully prepared for the upcoming governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states, signalling an early and coordinated push to strengthen its political presence in the region.

The position was contained in a statement signed by the ADC National Director of Communication and Programmes, Dr Babatunde Oke, following a zonal executive meeting addressed by the National Vice Chairman (Southwest), Rahman Owokoniran, alongside other party leaders.

Speaking at the meeting in Ibadan, Owokoniran restated the party’s commitment to aggressive membership registration, mobilisation and expansion of its support base across the Southwest. Zonal executives also resolved to deploy every available strategy to ensure the party performs strongly in both Osun and Ekiti.

The meeting further stressed the need for an aggressive campaign structure, close monitoring of polling units and solid security arrangements before, during and after the elections.

INEC seeks deeper UN partnership to strengthen elections
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), on Thursday called for stronger collaboration with the United Nations to enhance the credibility, transparency and inclusiveness of elections in Nigeria.

Amupitan made the remarks in Abuja while receiving the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohammed Fall, and the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme, Ms Elsie Attafuah.

The INEC chairman said the commission remains committed to improving every election it conducts, stressing that it is dedicated to doing better and not disappointing the hopes of Nigerians. “Our hope, our aspirations, desire is that every election we conduct will be better than the last one,” Amupitan said.

Further in his remarks, the INEC chair linked electoral challenges in Africa to broader development issues. He urged the UNDP to intensify support in the area of voter education to address voter apathy and rebuild public trust.

The INEC boss also highlighted ongoing technological reforms, including improvements to the commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IReV), aimed at enhancing transparency. He disclosed that the commission was working to clean up the voters’ register by removing the names of deceased persons and eliminating duplicates to ensure accurate statistics.

Responding, Fall congratulated Amupitan on his appointment and reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s democracy. He described Nigeria as a country with high electoral stakes and complexity, noting that the world was watching its democratic journey.

Fall added that the UN system in Nigeria, comprising 26 agencies, stood ready to provide global expertise and best practices in electoral support.