Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged the Nigerian Senate to urgently amend the Electoral Act 2022, arguing that gaps in the law enabled alleged irregularities during the 2023 general elections.
In a statement shared on his Facebook page on Thursday, Atiku said the current legal framework makes it extremely difficult for election petitioners to successfully pursue their cases in court, a situation he believes opened the door to what he described as widespread rigging in 2023.
He maintained that fixing these weaknesses is critical to protecting the integrity of the 2027 elections and stressed that any amendments must be concluded early enough to guide the conduct of future polls.
“At a time when the errors of the 2023 elections are still fresh, it is imperative that the legal framework for the 2027 and subsequent elections is thoroughly reviewed,” Atiku said.
The former vice president also expressed concern that the Senate may be deliberately delaying or obstructing the amendment process, referencing a recent report by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) as evidence of legislative inaction.
According to him, the credibility of the 2027 general elections depends largely on how urgently the Senate treats the proposed amendments, warning that failure to pass them in good time would amount to an attempt to manipulate the electoral process well before voting begins.