The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised concerns over recent amendments to the 2026 Electoral Act, following comments by Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate, regarding the opposition’s reaction to the law.
Speaking on Saturday during a reception for the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Akpabio reportedly said he welcomed complaints from opposition parties, suggesting that such responses indicated the National Assembly had made the right law.
Reacting in a statement on Sunday, the ADC, through its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the remarks raised questions about the intent behind the amendments.
The embedded logic of this statement raises serious concerns about the purpose of the Electoral Amendment,” Abdullahi said. “Laws should be amended to strengthen governance and advance the national interest, not to serve partisan considerations.”
The party highlighted that legislative changes should ideally meet national aspirations and promote collective societal benefit. Abdullahi noted that amendments that lower ethical or accountability standards risk undermining democratic principles.
Specifically, the ADC criticised a provision in the amended law that removed certificate forgery as a ground to challenge an election, calling for a reconsideration of reforms that could weaken electoral integrity.
How can any self-respecting person be happy with himself for presiding over the making of a law that now says the election of an individual can no longer be challenged on the grounds of certificate forgery as provided in Section 138 of the Electoral Act 2026, even though this is in direct contradiction to Sections 66, 107, 137, and 182 of the Constitution?” Abdullahi asked.
According to him, the amendment creates a constitutional conflict and sends a negative message about integrity in public office.
“It is difficult to imagine a more damaging message to send to Nigerians, particularly to our young people, than the suggestion that certificate forgery should no longer have serious consequences,” he said.
The party further criticised the National Assembly, saying the development weakened democratic standards.
“What kind of lawmakers gather together to conceive, deliberate, and pass legislation that appears designed to protect dishonesty rather than punish it? Such actions do not only weaken our democracy; they lower the moral estimation of our country in the eyes of the world,” the NPS said.
The ADC spokesperson added that Nigerians would ultimately judge political leaders by their record in office, stating, “As it stands, the legacy of this National Assembly will be that of the most spineless and compromised legislature in Nigeria’s democratic history, a legislature that made a law which lowered the nation’s ethical standard just to serve the interest of one man.”
