Former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili has issued a stern warning to the Nigerian Senate following its handling of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026, cautioning that lawmakers risk deepening public anger and damaging the country’s democracy.
Speaking Friday on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, Ezekwesili criticized the Senate’s recent passage of the Electoral Bill 2026, particularly its rejection of mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results—a proposal many consider essential for electoral transparency.
The Senate approved several amendments to the bill after lengthy debate, including changes to election timelines, stiffer penalties for electoral offences, and expanded use of voting technology. However, it voted down the electronic transmission clause, drawing widespread criticism.
“Stop playing with fire,” Ezekwesili said. “It’s almost as if the political class, especially the Senate, wakes up every morning asking, ‘What shall we do today to upset Nigerians?'”
She maintained that citizens have every right to be frustrated with what she called the lawmakers’ poor judgment and excesses. “Anyone who thinks it’s okay for citizens not to be annoyed at these excesses and the sheer lack of wisdom from our senators—I don’t know what they’re thinking,” she stated.
While emphasizing that violence should never be encouraged, Ezekwesili urged Nigerians to remain actively engaged in defending their democracy. Quoting Thomas Jefferson, she said, “Eternal vigilance is the price that citizens pay for freedom, for liberty.”
The former minister warned that lawmakers must remember their accountability to the public. “These senators cannot run Nigeria as though it were their fiefdom. Nigerian democracy belongs to the people, not to politicians,” she declared.
The Senate’s decision has sparked debate across civil society organizations and among political observers. Many argue that electronic transmission of results is crucial for building trust in the electoral process, particularly after controversies surrounding the 2023 general elections.
Seventy civil society organizations and groups including Afenifere have publicly criticized the Senate’s position, with some describing it as self-serving and potentially paving the way toward a one-party state.
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