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By John Ogunsemore
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has berated the Senate for allegedly deliberately frustrating efforts to amend the Electoral Act 2022.
In an X post on Thursday, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain described the existing Electoral Act as flawed, saying it contained loopholes that contributed to what he called brazen rigging of the 2023 general election.
Atiku argued that failure to amend the legislation could also undermine the 2027 election.
He said, “A major setback to the 2023 elections is the loopholes in the Electoral Act 2022 that paved the way for the brazen rigging of that election, and the near-impossibility of petitioners to advance their cases in the courts.
“It is imperative that if the mistakes of the 2023 election are to be corrected, the legal instrument for the conduct of the 2027 and subsequent future elections needs to be reviewed.
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“But as things stand, it has become obvious that the Senate is determined to frustrate the passage of amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act.”
He said a recent investigative report by an online news platform on the Electoral Act has indicted the Senate.
According to him, the credibility of the 2027 electoral process hinges largely on the response of the Red Chamber.
Atiku said, “The recent report by FIJ serves as both an indictment of the Senate and a timely call for legislative responsibility.
“The credibility of the 2027 general elections hinges on the urgency with which the Senate treats this crucial bill.
“It is, therefore, imperative that the Senate finalises the amendments and ensures the updated law governs the conduct of the 2027 elections. Anything short of this is a deliberate attempt to rig the election long before the ballots are cast.”
