Stop Lamenting about Electoral Act, Fix Your Problems, Presidency to ADC, NNPP

The presidency has taken a swipe at opposition parties, especially the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), telling their leaders to stop lamenting about the amendment of the 2026 INEC Act and instead channel their energy towards fixing their problems.
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‎The Presidency stated this while reacting to the opposition parties’ figures, led by the ADC and NNPP, calls for amendment of the 2026 INEC Act, where it made some allegations against President Bola Tinubu and the APC-led Federal Government.
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‎In a statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, Information & Strategy, the Presidency noted that the opposition, especially the ADC, has turned illogical political statements into an art form, all in a bid to attract cheap headlines and mislead the public.
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‎The statement added that the opposition, along with some civil society groups, has launched a relentless war of disinformation against the National Assembly and the administration, making false allegations in a bid to impose their will on Nigerians and the legislature, the arm of government constitutionally empowered to make laws for the country’s good governance.
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‎It said that because of their relentless campaign, the National Assembly enacted an amendment to the Electoral Act that allows for the real-time transmission of election results and the use of Form EC8A as a backup in the event of network failure, adding that the opposition’s claim that Form EC8A creates a loophole for manipulation is illogical and a needless argument.
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‎The Presidency said any reasonable Nigerian understands that network glitches are a real issue, insisting that the 2026 Electoral Act does not prohibit real-time transmission but stipulates that if transmission fails, the result recorded on Form EC8A shall be deemed valid.
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‎It stated that 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 EC8A.
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‎The Presidency recalled that during the opposition parties’ press conference, they also rejected the use of direct primaries as a means of selecting party candidates.
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‎It said, “We find it perplexing why the opposition is crying over the inclusion of direct primaries and consensus voting, rather than the corrupt delegate system.”
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‎The Presidency told the opposition to be grateful to the National Assembly for removing delegate-based primaries and restoring party ownership to its members, emphasising that aspirants should fear participation by party members in the primaries, saying, “This is how candidates are picked by party members in the United States, where Nigeria borrowed the presidential system of government.”
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‎Continuing, “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.
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‎”A recurring refrain from the opposition is the false allegation that President Tinubu aims to turn Nigeria into a one-party state; such a statement reveals a lack of understanding and reasoning. It affirms that 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 problems and unpreparedness are evident. President Tinubu is a democrat—an opposition leader who, alongside like-minded individuals, led the charge to defeat the PDP in 2015.
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‎”Contrary to the opposition’s move 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.”
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‎The Presidency noted that the opposition is merely crying foul because the rules of the game have been adjusted to prevent manipulation.