Presidency slams opposition over ‘reckless’ attacks on Electoral Act

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

The Presidency has fired back at opposition parties, accusing them of “constant lamentation and unwarranted outrage” over recent amendments to Nigeria’s Electoral Act and the APC-led federal government.

In a sharply worded statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the administration dismissed allegations from prominent opposition figures, led by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), who gathered in Abuja to criticise the changes.

Onanuga described the opposition’s claims as “reckless, spurious allegations”, charging that they have “turned irresponsible political statements into an art form, all in a bid to attract cheap headlines and mislead the public”. He accused them of working “in cahoots with some civil society groups” to wage a “relentless war of disinformation” against the National Assembly and the administration.

The controversy centres on amendments allowing real-time transmission of election results with Form EC8A as a backup for network failures – a provision the opposition labels a “loophole for manipulation”. Onanuga countered that this is “illogical and a needless tantrum”, insisting that “any reasonable Nigerian understands that network glitches are a real issue”. He clarified that the Act “does not prohibit real-time transmission; it simply stipulates that if transmission fails, the result recorded on Form EC8A shall be deemed valid”.

The statement also defended the role of INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV), stressing that it is “not a collation centre” but a public viewing platform, with Form EC8 remaining the primary validation source.

Opposition parties further rejected direct primaries for candidate selection, prompting Onanuga to question their preference for the “corrupt delegate system”. He argued that the changes restore “party ownership to its members”, drawing parallels to the US system: “No aspirant should fear participation by party members in the primaries.”

Onanuga rejected claims that the National Assembly ignored public input, stating that it consulted “various stakeholders, technical experts, and millions of Nigerians” over two years. He dismissed allegations that President Tinubu is pushing a one-party state as “cheap shots”, reminding critics that Tinubu himself led opposition efforts to defeat the PDP in 2015.

The Presidency portrayed the new Act, signed by Tinubu, as a “significant improvement” that closes manipulation loopholes. “The opposition is merely crying foul because the rules of the game have been adjusted to prevent manipulation, such as result hacking, which they have allegedly perfected,” Onanuga wrote, urging ADC and NNPP leaders to focus on “introspection and fix their own mess”.