Former Minister of Education and public policy advocate, Oby Ezekwesili, has issued a strong warning to Nigerian senators over the amended Electoral Act, accusing them of endangering democratic stability by retaining what she called deliberate ambiguities around electronic transmission of election results.
Ezekwesili spoke during an interview on ARISE News on Friday, reacting to the Senate’s passage of a bill amending the Electoral Act after prolonged debate over provisions guiding electronic upload of results and the level of discretion granted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
She said Nigerians had expected lawmakers to close loopholes exposed during the 2023 general election, not preserve them.
“I think that the fundamental issue is that the Senate retained the INEC 2022 Act Section 60, subsection 5,” Ezekwesili said. “That provision became infamous for the loophole that allowed INEC not to accord Nigerians any basis to trust it anymore.”
According to her, the failure to address that section has already weakened public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system.
Ezekwesili recalled repeated assurances given by INEC officials ahead of the 2023 polls, particularly to young voters, about the real-time electronic transmission of results.
“The then chairman of INEC kept telling especially the young people of this country that he was assuring them that they would exercise the effectiveness of using online transmission into the INEC results viewing portal,” she said.
She noted that when those assurances were not fulfilled, it laid the foundation for widespread suspicion and post-election litigation.
“When they failed to do that, it became the basis for doubting what happened at polling units across the country,” she said.
She added that court rulings later reinforced the problem.
“It became the basis on which judicial pronouncements were made that the law does not mandate INEC to upload results at every polling unit.”
Ezekwesili argued that the ongoing amendment process had initially been welcomed by citizens as a chance to restore credibility to Nigeria’s elections.
“So the opportunity for reform of the INEC Act was embraced by citizens,” she said. “Every ambiguity, every loophole, every opportunity for discretion on a matter that goes to the heart of transparency and legitimacy should have been removed.”
Senate Decision Causing Public Outrage
Ezekwesili said Nigerians were justified in reacting angrily to the Senate’s decision to leave the disputed provision intact.
“If that then went before the Senate and they decided to let sleeping dogs lie, the citizens have every reason to be as outraged as they currently are,” she said.
She stressed that democracy draws its legitimacy from voters, not elected officials.
“The reason citizens love democracy is that of all political systems, this is the only one in which they legitimize public leadership,” Ezekwesili said. “That is why we say that the office of the citizen is the highest office in the land.”
She described the 2023 election experience as deeply damaging to public trust.
“When citizens say their experience in the 2023 election was terrible, that it eroded their confidence in democracy, it should alarm those in power,” she said.
On lawful civic engagement, Ezekwesili urged sustained pressure on elected representatives.
“The options are very clear,” she said. “Citizens are already speaking loudly and saying this is not our expectation.”
She warned that growing disengagement from democratic participation posed a serious risk.
“When citizens begin to disavow themselves from democracy, those who are in power should be worried,” she said.
Citing voter turnout, she added, “Less than 35% of registered voters participated in the last presidential election. It means they’ve checked out.”
She accused lawmakers of worsening the situation.
“And you now go ahead and make them even more uninterested?” she asked. “They have a duty to the citizens.”
Call for Immediate Legislative Reversal
Explaining her warning that senators were “playing with fire,” Ezekwesili said the phrase reflected genuine concern for national stability.
“It’s almost as if the political class wakes up every morning and asks how to upset Nigerians,” she said.
She rejected claims that public demands for accountability amount to incitement.
“Nigerian democracy belongs to the people,” she said. “It does not belong to politicians.”
Ezekwesili called on the Senate to suspend its recess and urgently amend the law.
“I have recommended that they cancel their two-week vacation and fix this,” she said.
She proposed a clear, non-discretionary clause.
“The presiding officer shall electronically transmit results from each polling unit to the INEC results viewing portal, IREV, in real time,” she said, stressing that transmission should occur immediately after results are signed and stamped.
She concluded with a final appeal.
“The senators know how to walk away from this,” Ezekwesili said. “Let them do it. Fire is dangerous. Transparency is better.”
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