Former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has said flaws in the Electoral Act 2022 undermined the credibility of the 2023 general elections, calling for urgent amendments ahead of the 2027 polls.
Atiku said the loopholes in the law created room for widespread electoral malpractice and made it extremely difficult for aggrieved candidates to prove their cases in court.
In a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, he argued that addressing the shortcomings exposed during the last elections requires an immediate review of Nigeria’s electoral legal framework, starting with amendments to the Electoral Act.
He warned that failure to correct the defects in the 2022 Act could seriously threaten the integrity of the 2027 general elections and future polls.
The former vice president also expressed concern over what he described as the Senate’s apparent reluctance to fast-track the proposed amendments, cautioning that continued delays could erode public trust in the electoral process.
Atiku referenced a recent report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, describing it as a strong indictment of the Senate and a call for greater legislative accountability.
According to him, the credibility of the 2027 elections depends largely on how urgently the Senate handles the proposed amendments.
He stressed the need for the National Assembly to conclude the review process and ensure that a revised Electoral Act is in place before the next general elections.
“Anything short of this,” Atiku said, “amounts to a deliberate attempt to rig the election long before voters go to the polls.”
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