Ahead of the 2027 general election leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have rejected the new 2026 Electoral Act.
The opposition leaders also called on the National Assembly to commence a fresh process to amend the Electoral Act.
The opposition leaders rejected the 2026 Electoral Act during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
Prominent opposition figures at the meeting included NNPP National Chairman, Ajuji Ahmed; former Senate President David Mark; NNPP chieftain Buba Galadima; former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.
Also in attendance at the Lagos/Osun Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, were the ADC National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola; former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi; and the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, alongside other stakeholders.
Others present included Senator Dino Melaye, former ADC National Chairman Ralph Nwosu, and former Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke, among several dignitaries.
The leaders, representing a broad coalition of political interests, issued a joint statement on Thursday, February 26, 2026, describing the legislation as a “calculated assault on the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy.”
They are demanding an immediate fresh amendment to several “poison pill” clauses they claim were inserted to facilitate electoral fraud in the 2027 general elections.
The parties called on the National Assembly to immediately begin a fresh amendment process to remove what they described as “all obnoxious provisions” in the law.
Their position was made known at a press briefing themed “Urgent Call to Save Nigeria’s Democracy,” held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Thursday.
In a communiqué read by the Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) Ahmed Ajuji, the opposition leaders stated: “We demand that the National Assembly immediately commence a fresh amendment to the Electoral Act 2026, to remove all obnoxious provisions and ensure that the Act reflects only the will and aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair, transparent and credible electoral process in our country. Nothing short of this will be acceptable to Nigerians.”
The coalition said the amended law, signed by President Bola Tinubu, contains “anti-democratic” clauses, which they argue may weaken electoral transparency and public confidence in the voting system.
At the centre of the opposition’s concerns is the amendment to Section 60(3), which allows presiding officers to rely on manual transmission of election results where there is a communication failure.
According to the coalition, the provision weakens the mandatory electronic transmission of results and could create loopholes for manipulation.
They argued that Nigeria’s electoral technology infrastructure is sufficient to support nationwide electronic transmission, citing previous assurances by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The parties also rejected the amendment to Section 84, which restricts political parties to direct primaries and consensus methods for candidate selection.
They described the change as an unconstitutional intrusion into the internal affairs of parties, insisting that indirect primaries remain a legitimate democratic option.
