Opposition Parties Reject 2026 Electoral Act, Demand Fresh, Transparent Amendments

Opposition political parties have rejected the 2026 Electoral Act recently passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.

They also, urged the National Assembly to immediately begin a fresh amendment process to remove “all obnoxious provisions” in the law.

The opposition parties spoke at a news conference with the theme, “Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Democracy,” at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Thursday.

According to the statement read by the Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Ahmed Ajuji, the opposition noted, “We demand that the National Assembly immediately commence a fresh amendment to the Electoral Act 2026, to remove all obnoxious provisions and ensure that the Act reflects only the will and aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair, transparent and credible electoral process in our country. Nothing short of this will be acceptable to Nigerians.”

Opposition leaders present on the occasion included former Senate President David Mark, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, in 2023, Peter Gregory Obi, former Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, all from the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Apart from the National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Ahmed Ajuji, other notable members of the party in attendance included Buba Galadima, among others.

The coalition said the amended law, signed by Bola Tinubu, "contains anti-democratic” clauses, which they argue may weaken electoral transparency and public confidence in the voting system.

The opposition parties expressed concerns over the amendment to Section 60(3), which allows presiding officers to rely on manual transmission of election results where there is communication failure, pointing out that, the provision weakens the mandatory electronic transmission of results and could create loopholes for manipulation.

According to them, Nigeria’s electoral technology infrastructure is sufficient to support nationwide electronic transmission, citing previous assurances by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The parties also rejected the amendment to Section 84, which restricts political parties to direct primaries and consensus methods for candidate selection, noting that the alteration was 

an unconstitutional intrusion into the internal affairs of parties, insisting that indirect primaries remain a legitimate democratic option.

FCT Election Concerns

The opposition cited alleged irregularities in the recent Federal Capital Territory local government elections as evidence of what they described as a broader pattern of electoral compromise.

They described the FCT polls as a “complete fraud” stressing that the outcome has deepened their lack of confidence in the ability of the electoral system to deliver credible elections in 2027.

The coalition also condemned reported attacks on leaders of the African Democratic Congress in Edo State, describing the incidents as a serious threat to democratic participation and political tolerance.

According to the opposition parties, the 

 increasing violence against opposition figures could destabilise the political environment if not urgently addressed, and then pledged to pursue “every constitutional means” to challenge the Electoral Act 2026 and safeguard voters’ rights.

“We will not be intimidated,” the leaders said, urging civil society organisations and citizens to support efforts aimed at protecting Nigeria’s democratic governance. Buba Galadima urged the Federal Government not to underestimate public anger over the new Electoral Act.