The Presidency has dismissed opposition criticism of the newly signed 2026 Electoral Act as “deliberate misinformation”, insisting that the amended law strengthens electoral integrity, enhances transparency and closes loopholes previously exploited for result manipulation.
Responding to allegations made in Abuja by leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), the Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said the outcry stemmed from opposition frustration over reforms designed to prevent result hacking and electoral malpractice.
Mr Onanuga maintained that, contrary to claims by opposition figures, the 2026 Electoral Act represents a significant improvement on the repealed legislation, introducing safeguards that reflect the realities of Nigeria’s technological environment while preserving transparency in the electoral process.
He explained that the amendment enacted by the National Assembly allows for real-time transmission of election results while retaining Form EC8A as a statutory backup in the event of network failure, describing the provision as practical and necessary.
He further argued that the opposition’s claim that Form EC8A creates room for manipulation is “illogical and misleading”, stressing that the form remains the primary legally recognised document for validating election results.
Mr Onanuga also clarified that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IReV) is not a collation centre but a transparency platform for public viewing of uploaded results, noting that collation continues to be governed by statutory electoral procedures.
“The 2026 Electoral Act does not prohibit real-time transmission; it simply stipulates that if transmission fails, the result recorded on Form EC8A shall be deemed valid.
“Moreover, the role of IReV (INEC Results Viewing Portal) must not be misunderstood by the opposition. IReV is not a collation centre; it is a platform for uploading results for public viewing. The primary source for validating election results remains Form EC8,” Mr Onanuga added.
On the issue of party primaries, the Presidential aide defended the inclusion of direct primaries and consensus voting in the new Act, describing them as more democratic alternatives to the delegate-based system.
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Drawing comparisons with established presidential democracies, he noted that direct participation of party members in candidate selection aligns with global best practices.
The Special Adviser to the President also rejected claims that the National Assembly ignored public input in passing the amendments, pointing out that lawmakers engaged stakeholders, technical experts and citizens over a two-year period before finalising the legislation.
“The opposition’s claim that the National Assembly ignored Nigerians’ wishes is a total falsehood. The NASS did not ignore the public. For two years, according to the Senate Majority Leader, the NASS listened to various stakeholders, technical experts, and millions of Nigerians who expressed their views on the risk of technical failure that could invalidate the entire election.
“A recurring refrain from the disorganised opposition is the false allegation that President Tinubu aims to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. Such cheap shots reveal their hollowness and lack of reason. Nigeria is a vibrant multiparty democracy, with more than a dozen registered parties, including ADC and NNPP.
The opposition should stop exaggerating the effects of the new Electoral Act. Their inability to organise and their tendency to blame others for their own disorganisation and unpreparedness are evident,” he said.
Describing allegations that President Tinubu intends to turn Nigeria into a one-party state as “cheap political rhetoric”, Mr Onanuga insisted that Nigeria remains a vibrant multiparty democracy with more than a dozen registered political parties.
“President Tinubu is a democrat, an opposition leader who, alongside like-minded individuals, led the charge to defeat the PDP in 2015.
“Contrary to their deliberate misinformation designed to incite the populace, the new Electoral Act, signed by President Tinubu, is a significant improvement over the repealed law, closing loopholes the opposition leaders sought to exploit for manipulation.
“In summary, 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,” Mr Onanuga added.
He urged opposition leaders to desist from what he termed “constant lamentation and unwarranted outrage” and instead focus on strengthening their internal structures ahead of future elections.
“Rather than this constant lamentation and unwarranted outrage, ADC and NNPP leaders should spend more time on introspection and fix their own mess,” Mr Onanuga said.
He concluded by stating that electoral reforms should be viewed as a collective national effort to safeguard democracy rather than politicised through unfounded accusations.