Senate President Godswill Akpabio disclosed Tuesday that President Bola Tinubu is slated to approve a contentious revision of the Electoral Act by month’s end, as lawmakers scramble to reconcile versions of the bill following public backlash over perceived dilutions to transparency safeguards.
Akpabio made the revelation during a plenary, appointing an expanded 12-member panel to align with the lower chamber’s delegation.
“We have raised our numbers from nine to twelve to match the figures from our colleagues in the House of Reps,” he said.
“We expect everything to be done in the next few days or in a week. The President is expected to sign this into law in February.”
The amendments have ignited fierce opposition, with activists alleging they pave the way for vote tampering by scrapping mandatory electronic result uploads — a feature hailed in prior polls for curbing irregularities. Demonstrators under the #OccupyNASS banner besieged the legislature, decrying the changes as a setback for democracy.
Prominent critic Omoyele Sowore, a rights advocate and past presidential contender, joined the fray, slamming the alterations as deliberate sabotage.
“This is an exposition that already existed. It is not new. That is why it is a surprise to everyone that this provision was yanked away from the Electoral Act that Akpabio and his friends are trying to put in place,” he told protesters.
Sowore contended that incumbents dread fair contests: “We know why they are doing it. These people cannot win in free and fair elections. But the people have a duty to demand processes that guarantee free, legal and transparent elections.”
Advocating bolder tech adoption, he added: “My preference is not even electronic transmission of results, because what gets transmitted at the end of the day is what has already been manipulated. I am more interested in electronic voting.”
He urged vigilance on ballot sanctity: “Whatever people think in their minds that can protect the integrity of their votes, we must defend and support it.”
Warning forces against stifling dissent, Sowore said: “It is their job to protect the country, not to attack peaceful protesters. I have warned them that if they try that, they are starting something they cannot predict how it will end.”
Positioning himself as a radical reformer, he dismissed incremental fixes: “I’m not for baby steps. I’m a revolutionary. Nothing other than revolution will solve this problem.”
Noting societal unrest, he observed: “Nigerians are very angry at this time, but security agents have a duty to maintain law and order, nothing more, nothing less.” And: “When we arrived here, you could tell this place was filled with silent revolutionaries. The giants in them began to awaken when they saw that we were together.”
