Monday, March, 9 2026 - The African Democratic Congress has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of undermining Nigeria’s ethical and democratic standards through his role in the passage of the Electoral Act 2026.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji
Abdullahi, on Sunday, the party condemned provisions of the law which it said
were designed to protect dishonesty, weaken opposition parties, and erode
public confidence in the nation’s democracy.
Akpabio, speaking at a reception for President Bola Tinubu’s
wife, Remi Tinubu, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Saturday, dismissed the
opposition’s objections to the Electoral Act 2026, insisting that he had acted
correctly.
The Senate President said, “Each time we make a law and the
opposition frowns, I get excited that I’ve made the right law.
“While we are moving around Nigeria, consulting and
campaigning, many of them are still trying to form their political party.
“They haven’t even finished registration, and they would
continue in confusion till 2027 election is over. Instead of putting their
houses in order, they’re breaking up.
“You see a man who formed the Labour Party; they had
millions of votes, today they can’t have a hundred thousand votes, because the
Labour Party is distressed.
“They have different leadership. Some in the North, some in
the South, some in the West, some in the East.
“See then PDP that used to be one now struggling to have
five different offices in Abuja, with about four secretaries. Who would sign
their forms?
“Yesterday I saw one man shouting on TV because of the
amended Electoral Act, saying we’re likely to boycott elections.
“My response was to tell the truth: you’re boycotting the
elections because you’re not ready. If you were ready, you won’t boycott.”
In response, the ADC stated that the Senate President should
anticipate harsh judgment from history for his role in imposing the 2026
Electoral Act on Nigerians, particularly the provision that removed certificate
forgery as a valid ground for challenging election results.
The party said the move would remain a lasting legacy of the
ruling party.
“The African Democratic Congress has taken note of the
recent comments credited to the Senate President, His Excellency Godswill
Akpabio, in which he dismissed the opposition’s complaints about the 2026
Electoral Act as evidence that he and the Senate he leads have made the right
laws.
“In other words, if the laws had been agreeable to the
opposition and did not elicit any complaint, those would have been the wrong
laws.
“The embedded logic of this statement exposes the subterfuge
behind the entire business of the Electoral Amendment. It was all designed to
make the ruling party and the President happy.
“Amendments are made to laws in order to make them better in
meeting national aspirations and advancing the collective best interests of
citizens towards achieving a better society.
“It is only in a rogue democracy, or more precisely, in a
kakistocracy such as the one we are in today, that the legislature would sit
down to make laws that actually lower society’s ethical standards,” the
statement said.
It chided Akpabio, saying, “How can any self-respecting
person be happy with himself for presiding over the making of a law that now
says the election of an individual can no longer be challenged on the grounds
of certificate forgery as provided in Section 138 of the Electoral Act 2026,
even though this is in direct contradiction to Sections 66, 107, 137, and 182
of the Constitution, which clearly disqualify anyone who has presented a forged
certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from
holding public office?”
The ADC said the amended legislation not only created a
serious constitutional conflict but also highlighted the lengths to which a
desperate political party would go to drag the country down to its level.
It added, “This amended legislation not only creates a
troubling constitutional conflict, it also shows how far a desperate political
party like the APC would go in bringing the country down to its level.
“It is difficult to imagine a more damaging message to send
to Nigerians, particularly to our young people, than the suggestion that
certificate forgery should no longer have serious consequences.
“What kind of lawmakers gather together to conceive,
deliberate, and pass legislation that appears designed to protect dishonesty
rather than punish it?
“Such actions do not only weaken our democracy; they lower
the moral estimation of our country in the eyes of the world and reinforce the
dangerous stereotype that corruption is acceptable in Nigerian public life.”
The party said Nigerians would ultimately judge leaders by
their record.
“If Senator Akpabio wishes to concern himself with the
activities of the opposition, that is his choice. But Nigerians will ultimately
judge leaders not by their ridicule of the opposition, but by their record.
“And as it stands, the legacy of this National Assembly will
be that of the most spineless and compromised legislature in Nigeria’s
democratic history, a legislature that made a law which lowered the nation’s
ethical standard just to serve the interest of one man.
“While Senator Akpabio can continue to mock the opposition
as much as he likes, it is important to note that as a growing party and the
choice of millions of Nigerians, the ADC remains focused on building a credible
political alternative capable of restoring integrity, competence, and
accountability to governance in our country.
“History is patient. And when the story of this period in
Nigeria’s democratic journey is written, Nigerians will remember those who
stood to defend the integrity of our democracy, and those who chose to weaken
it,” the statement added.
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