The Presidency on Thursday dismissed allegations by opposition parties against President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), describing their objections to the amended Electoral Act as unfounded and politically motivated.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the administration accused leading opposition figures, particularly from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), of making what it termed “spurious allegations” during a press conference in Abuja.
The statement alleged that opposition parties, in collaboration with some civil society groups, have sustained a campaign of misinformation against the National Assembly and the Federal Government over recent amendments to the Electoral Act.
According to the Presidency, the amendment provides for real-time transmission of election results while retaining Form EC8A as a contingency mechanism in the event of network failure. It rejected claims that the use of Form EC8A creates opportunities for manipulation, arguing that network disruptions remain a practical concern during elections.
“The law does not prohibit real-time transmission,” the statement said, noting that results recorded on Form EC8A would only be deemed valid where electronic transmission fails. It further clarified that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IReV) is designed for public viewing of uploaded results and does not serve as a collation centre. The primary legal document for result validation, it added, remains Form EC8.
The Presidency also criticised opposition parties for opposing the adoption of direct primaries and consensus options for selecting candidates. It argued that the removal of delegate-based primaries strengthens internal party democracy by returning decision-making power to party members.
Responding to claims that the National Assembly ignored public opinion in passing the amendment, the statement maintained that lawmakers undertook extensive consultations over a two-year period, engaging stakeholders and technical experts, particularly on concerns about technological failures that could compromise election outcomes.
The Presidency further dismissed allegations that the reforms are aimed at entrenching a one-party state, describing Nigeria as a “vibrant multiparty democracy” with more than a dozen registered political parties.
President Tinubu, it noted, has a history as an opposition leader who played a key role in the 2015 electoral defeat of the then ruling party.
Concluding, the Presidency maintained that the amended Electoral Act represents an improvement on the previous legislation, asserting that it closes loopholes and strengthens the integrity of the electoral process.
