- he said restoring confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process requires an urgent overhaul of the existing legal framework
- anything short of timely amendments would amount to a calculated effort to compromise
- Atiku also expressed concern over what he described as the Senate’s lack of urgency
Former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has faulted the Electoral Act 2022, describing its loopholes as a major blow to the credibility of the 2023 general elections.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Atiku said the gaps in the law created room for large-scale electoral manipulation and made it extremely difficult for aggrieved candidates to secure justice through the courts. According to him, the legal weaknesses significantly undermined the integrity of the last general polls.
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In a statement shared via his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, the former vice president argued that restoring confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process requires an urgent overhaul of the existing legal framework, starting with a comprehensive amendment of the Electoral Act.
He warned that failure to address the deficiencies exposed during the 2023 elections could put the credibility of the 2027 general elections and future polls at serious risk.
Atiku also expressed concern over what he described as the Senate’s lack of urgency in passing the proposed amendments, cautioning that prolonged delays could further erode public trust in the electoral system.
Referencing a recent report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Atiku said the findings amounted to a strong indictment of the National Assembly and a call for greater legislative responsibility.
He stressed that the fate of the 2027 elections largely depends on how swiftly lawmakers act on the amendment bill, insisting that the revised Electoral Act must be in place well ahead of the polls.
According to him, anything short of timely amendments would amount to a calculated effort to compromise the electoral process even before voters head to the ballot box.
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