Group Slams New Electoral Act Amendments, Cites Risks to Election Integrity
ABUJA — The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum has condemned recent amendments to Nigeria’s Electoral Act, warning that removing certificate forgery and qualification disputes as grounds for election petitions weakens democratic safeguards and could shield dishonest candidates.
The criticism centres on the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), which was signed into law but has been released by the federal government in fragments, according to the group. Specifically, the forum’s president, Akin Malaolu, expressed alarm over Section 138(1) of the amended law. That section restricts election petition grounds to only two scenarios: cases where a candidate’s victory resulted from corrupt practices or non-compliance with electoral rules, or where a candidate was not elected by the majority of lawful votes.
This represents a departure from previous electoral laws, which permitted petitions based on a candidate’s lack of proper qualifications, including allegations of forged academic or other certificates. The forum argues that excluding such “qualification” issues creates a major loophole.
“We have reflected deeply on these provisions and undertaken a critical introspection of the quality of leadership in the present National Assembly, particularly its apparent failure to consider the implications of clauses that appear sympathetic to forgery,” Malaolu stated.
The amendments also introduce stringent financial penalties. Section 138(3) imposes fines of no less than N5 million on legal practitioners and N10 million on petitioners who initiate cases outside the newly permitted grounds.
Malaolu warned that a legal framework perceived to tolerate forgery would foster dishonesty and misrepresentation, particularly within the education sector. “Fraud and forgery are not taught in schools, but they thrive when society fails to uphold standards that discourage them,” he added.
The forum stressed that weakening standards against certificate forgery threatens national integrity and could encourage falsification. It cautioned that Nigeria’s democratic institutions face a fundamental risk unless the identified gaps are urgently addressed.
The group has called on the Federal Government to publish the full text of the amended legislation publicly and immediately, rather than releasing sections piecemeal following presidential assent.
The amendments alter the legal landscape for challenging election results, a process that has historically been a key check on candidates’ eligibility. By narrowing petition grounds, legal experts note the changes may significantly reduce the avenues for contesting a candidate’s fitness for office post-election, shifting the focus almost entirely to the conduct of the vote itself.
The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum’s intervention adds a prominent civil society voice to growing concerns about the amendments’ potential long-term impact on electoral accountability and probity in public office.
