Former Minister of Education Oby Ezekwesili has strongly criticized the Senate over a provision on electoral result transmission recently passed by the National Assembly, describing it as an affront to the intelligence of Nigerians.
Ezekwesili argued that the clause undermines the collective will of voters and contradicts the principles of a functioning democracy, where elected officials must remain accountable to the people.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she warned that the provision creates a loophole that could be exploited to manipulate future elections, including the 2027 general polls. According to her, the move sends a dangerous signal that votes may not count.
She accused the Senate leadership, under Senate President Godswill Akpabio, of deepening public distrust in the electoral process by passing what she termed a “vexing” clause on result transmission.
Ezekwesili, however, praised the House of Representatives for passing a bill that mandates the real-time electronic transmission of polling unit results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IREV), describing the action as honest and transparent.
She warned that Nigerians’ patience is running out and urged senators to reconsider their position, stressing that transparency is critical to sustaining democracy.
“It is not wise for elected officials to play with fire by undermining public confidence in elections,” she cautioned, adding that transparency remains the best safeguard for democratic stability.
Recall that the Senate after about emergency session on Tuesday amended the electoral act allowing for electronic and manual transmission of election results which had stirred debate and protest.
