The National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Sani Yabagi, has voiced strong opposition to Nigeria’s newly signed Electoral Act 2026, labelling it “anti-people” and a danger to democratic integrity.
Speaking on African Independent Television’s Focus Nigeria programme, Yabagi criticised specific amendments, arguing they reintroduce discretionary powers that could allow institutional interference in elections. He contended the previous law’s primary flaw was granting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) scope for manual intervention, a vulnerability he believes the new act fails to address comprehensively.
Central to his critique is the act’s handling of results transmission. Yabagi acknowledged the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as a useful tool for voter verification but insisted that mandatory electronic transmission of results from polling units is non-negotiable for ensuring outcome credibility. “The only time-stamped device that is incontrovertible anywhere, including in court, is transmission from the voting point,” he stated.
He warned that describing BVAS as a “game-changer” is incomplete without enforceable electronic result transmission. Provisions permitting a return to manual collation in cases of network failure, he said, would undermine technological reforms aimed at preventing manipulation. “To say that when the network fails, we should go back to the manual process is to make nonsense of everything we have talked about,” Yabagi added.
The ADP chairman further alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is strategically preparing to exploit potential network disruptions on election day. “The whole APC is working against the interests of Nigerians,” he claimed, calling for political accountability.
Yabagi maintained that electoral malpractice predominantly occurs during results collation and physical movement, processes he says are vulnerable without strict electronic safeguards. He cautioned that weakening these mechanisms risks reverting Nigeria’s electoral system to one resembling a “monarchical system,” where institutional independence is compromised.
As of the report, the APC had not issued a response to the allegations. Yabagi’s criticism highlights ongoing partisan tensions over electoral reforms, with a focus on whether the 2026 Act will fortify or erode trust in Nigeria’s voting process. The debate centres on balancing technological reliability with practical contingencies, a key issue as Nigeria prepares for future elections.
