“New electoral law contradicts Nigeria’s constitution” – ADC raises alarm
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has revealed that provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 contradict Nigeria’s constitution.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the ADC, criticised the National Assembly over the amendment to the electoral law.
The party accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of undermining Nigeria’s ethical and democratic standards through the passage of the legislation.
The ADC said the law weakens democratic accountability and erodes public confidence in the country’s electoral system.
Akpabio had dismissed opposition criticism of the Electoral Act 2026 while speaking at a reception for First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, on Saturday.
The Senate President said complaints from opposition parties showed that the National Assembly had made the right laws.
Reacting, the ADC said the Senate President should expect judgment from history over his role in the passage of the law.
Part of the statement read: “The African Democratic Congress has taken note of the recent comments credited to the Senate President, His Excellency Godswill Akpabio, in which he dismissed the opposition’s complaints about the 2026 Electoral Act as evidence that he and the Senate he leads have made the right laws.
“In other words, if the laws had been agreeable to the opposition and did not elicit any complaint, those would have been the wrong laws.”
“The embedded logic of this statement exposes the subterfuge behind the entire business of the Electoral Amendment. It was all designed to make the ruling party and the President happy.
“How can any self-respecting person be happy with himself for presiding over the making of a law that now says the election of an individual can no longer be challenged on the grounds of certificate forgery as provided in Section 138 of the Electoral Act 2026, even though this is in direct contradiction to Sections 66, 107, 137, and 182 of the Constitution?”
The ADC said the amendment creates a constitutional conflict and lowers ethical standards in public office.
“This amended legislation not only creates a troubling constitutional conflict, but it also shows how far a desperate political party like the APC would go in bringing the country down to its level.
“It is difficult to imagine a more damaging message to send to Nigerians, particularly to our young people, than the suggestion that certificate forgery should no longer have serious consequences,” it said.
The party added that Nigeria’s democracy can only thrive when institutions reflect integrity and accountability.
“History is patient. And when the story of this period in Nigeria’s democratic journey is written, Nigerians will remember those who stood to defend the integrity of our democracy, and those who chose to weaken it,” the ADC said.
