The integrity of the 2026 Electoral Act is under fire after FCT Senator Ireti Kingibe accused colleagues of “overturning” the legislation.
Kingibe, who helped craft the bill, told Arise TV that the document eventually presented was a total departure from the committee’s draft.
She noted with frustration that many of the Act’s current key clauses were never actually vetted by the reform committee.
“What they presented was not what we worked on,” Kingibe said while featuring on Prime Time programme on Monday monitored by Persecondnews.
“I have the original documents, and I can show you the changes. The final version was completely different from what we agreed upon during our deliberations.”
The Senator also flagged serious discrepancies regarding ballot paper security, noting that such safeguards have historically been standard practice.
Kingibe questioned the feasibility of a fair election without features designed to prevent fraud, highlighting a glaring omission in the new legislation.
“In every previous election, we ensured ballot papers were secured,” Kingibe explained.
“However, I realized that those protections are completely missing from the final document.”
She noted that this oversight is particularly jarring given that the committee spent two years in diligent collaboration with the House, INEC, and Civil Society Organizations to refine the reform process.
She emphasized that the goal was to create a framework for free and fair elections.
She, however, lamented that the reforms were ultimately undermined, with every aspect of the document being “turned upside down.”
The Senator’s assertions prompt a critical re-evaluation of the Act’s legislative integrity, highlighting a significant risk to the fairness and security of future Nigerian elections.
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