- New Nigeria Peoples Party and African Democratic Congress renew calls for Electoral Act review
- Opposition leaders, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi, back demands for electoral reforms
- The Senate has rejected the call for fresh Electoral Act amendment
- The lawmakers urged opposition figures to channel concerns through the National Assembly framework rather than public pressure
The Senate on Thursday, February 26, dismissed fresh calls for an amendment to the Electoral Act 2026, even as prominent opposition figures including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi intensified pressure for a review of the law ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The development comes after TheRadar earlier reported that leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) demanded that the National Assembly immediately commence a fresh amendment process, describing the Electoral Act 2026 as anti-democratic and skewed in favour of the ruling party.
Responding to the agitation, the Senate on Thursday, February 26, urged the opposition to channel their concerns through members of the National Assembly rather than heighten political tensions.
Senate spokesman Senator Yemi Adaramodu dismissed the calls for another amendment, describing them as belated.
“Electoral Act again? Do you abort a pregnancy after the naming ceremony? But no problem. If they (opposition leaders) have any grey areas, they can just make their personal proposals to their legislators and they will bring them.
“Once they bring it to the National Assembly, we will look at it,” he said.
Similarly, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Chairman of the Senate Committee on South-East Development Commission, insisted that only the National Assembly had the authority to amend the law.
“Review which Electoral Act? Something that Mr President has assented to? No, it is the decision of the National Assembly to make, not an individual thing,” Kalu stated.
He cautioned opposition figures against what he described as “inflammatory rhetoric” capable of destabilising the polity.
“The opposition should stop heating up the polity. The route they are taking is not the right one. They should leave this route because it can only lead to chaos.
“If they are not comfortable with the current administration, they should change it by contesting against Mr President in 2027 and see if they can defeat him. In the meantime, they should stop heating up the polity,” he added.
While the opposition is pressing for a review of the electoral framework to ensure transparency and fairness, the Senate leadership maintains that any amendments must follow constitutional procedures and be initiated formally within the legislature.
With both camps holding firm, the dispute over the Electoral Act 2026 is emerging as an early flashpoint in Nigeria’s build-up to the 2027 general elections, a contest that is already reshaping alliances and sharpening political divides.