Kedu mgbe ntuli aka na-abịa na-esote, gịnịkwa ka ị ga-edozi n'iwu ụtụ isi nke 2026?

Our country stands at the cusp of a new beginning, and the decisions that voters in the elections on Saturday shall make will determine how ready we are, as a people, to provoke the march to economic and national recovery. I would also like to advocate for a peaceful election this Saturday and urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use the opportunity of this by-election to redeem itself of the fraudulent and shambolic elections of 2023. I want to specifically urge members of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party and, indeed, agents of other political parties participating in the elections to conduct themselves according to the laid down regulations on the day of the election. -AA

Yesterday evening, I received a high-powered European Union delegation, including the Ambassador to Nigeria, H.E Gautier Mignot. The delegation led by Barry Andrews, a member of the European Parliament, who was also Head of the 2023 EU- Election Observation Mission to Nigeria, is engaging in broad-based conversation on the future of Nigerian elections. This visit is a follow-up mission to see the level of implementation of a set of recommendations made by the team following the 2023 General elections. Expectations are high that the Independent National Electoral Commission will urgently work with the National Assembly to give citizens election laws that guarantee transparent and credible elections, where every vote counts. It is worrisome that two years down the line, we are yet to see indications that INEC is committed to an improved electoral process. Meanwhile, we shall continue to support efforts by CSOs, local and foreign Election Observations Missions (EOMs), including the EU-EOM, that will lead to genuine electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 General elections.

The Anambra State governorship election next weekend is one in the number of off cycle elections according to the country’s election timetable. But, rather than being like any other, the election to elect the next governor of Anambra State on November 8 offers a unique opportunity to end the era of poor governance in the state in addition to ensuring that the ruling All Progressive Congress does not get the chance of practicing its notoriety of snatching and running away with the mandate of the people. The election next weekend calls our consciousness to a moment when we must rally round the candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Nwosu Chima John and Nwobu Geoffrey Ndubisi to lead Anambra State to a new era of prosperity and economic stability. The election is also an opportunity for the electoral umpire under the leadership of Prof Joash Amupitan, SAN to prove to the world that it has turned a new page, and that the integrity of our election would not be sacrificed for the satisfaction of the ruling party.

The confirmation by the Senate that the gazetted version of the Tinubu Tax Act does not reflect what was duly passed by the National Assembly raises a grave constitutional issue. A law that was never passed in the form in which it was published is not law. It is a nullity. Under Section 58 of the 1999 Constitution, the lawmaking process is clear and exclusive: passage by both chambers, presidential assent, and only then gazetting. Gazetting is an administrative act of publication; it does not create law, amend law, or cure illegality. Where a gazette misrepresents legislative approval, it has no legal force. Any post-passage insertion, deletion, or modification of a bill without legislative approval amounts in law to forgery, not a clerical error. No administrative directive by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, or the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, can validate such a defect or justify a re-gazetting without re-passage and fresh presidential assent.

A major setback to the 2023 elections is the loopholes in the Electoral Act 2022 that paved the way for the brazen rigging of that election, and the near-impossibility of petitioners to advance their cases in the courts. It is imperative that if the mistakes of the 2023 election are to be corrected, the legal instrument for the conduct of the 2027 and subsequent future elections needs to be reviewed. But as things stand, it has become obvious that the Senate is determined to frustrate the passage of amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act. The recent report by FIJ serves as both an indictment of the Senate and a timely call for legislative responsibility. The credibility of the 2027 general elections hinges on the urgency with which the Senate treats this crucial bill. It is, therefore, imperative that the Senate finalises the amendments and ensures the updated law governs the conduct of the 2027 elections. Anything short of this is a deliberate attempt to rig the election long before the ballots are cast. -AA

This afternoon, I joined other leaders of the main opposition parties in Nigeria, at a Joint Press Conference in Abuja. We rejected the 2026 Electoral Act hastily signed into law by the Bola Tinubu-led APC administration. The rejection was followed by a call to reenact the law in line with the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians. I totally agree with Dr Ajuji Ahmed, the National Chairman of the New Nigerian People's Party(NNPP) who clearly articulated our rejection of the amended 2026 Electoral Act, especially section 60(3) which encourages INEC to also adopt manual instead of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results to the IREV portal, under claims of network failure in a country with more than 90% Internet coverage. We also jointly rejected section 84(2) that imposes Direct or Consensus mode of primary election on political parties. I also agree with Dr Ajuji, that the amended Electoral Act 2026 is offensive, anti-democratic and a deliberate attempt by the APC-led National Assembly to undermine transparency and sanctity of our elections.