Abuja, Nigeria — Nigeria’s opposition political party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has criticised the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Godswill Akpabio, accusing him of undermining democratic standards through his role in passing the Electoral Act 2026.
The criticism was made in a statement issued on Sunday by the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress, Bolaji Abdullahi. The party said provisions in the newly enacted electoral legislation could weaken Nigeria’s democratic system and reduce public trust in elections.
Okay News reports that the dispute centres on a controversial clause in the Electoral Act 2026 which, according to the party, removes certificate forgery as a valid legal ground for challenging the outcome of an election.
Senator Godswill Akpabio, who presides over Nigeria’s Senate, the upper chamber of the country’s National Assembly, had earlier dismissed criticism from opposition political parties. He made the remarks while speaking at a reception organised in honour of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The event took place on Saturday in Uyo, the capital city of Akwa Ibom State in southern Nigeria.
In response, the African Democratic Congress said the Senate President should expect strong historical criticism for what it described as imposing the Electoral Act 2026 on Nigerians.
The party stated, “The African Democratic Congress has taken note of the recent comments credited to the Senate President, His Excellency Godswill Akpabio, in which he dismissed the opposition’s complaints about the 2026 Electoral Act as evidence that he and the Senate he leads have made the right laws. In other words, if the laws had been agreeable to the opposition and did not elicit any complaint, those would have been the wrong laws.
“The embedded logic of this statement exposes the subterfuge behind the entire business of the Electoral Amendment. It was all designed to make the ruling party and the President happy.”
The African Democratic Congress argued that the purpose of amending national laws should be to improve governance and strengthen democratic institutions.
“Amendments are made to laws in order to make them better in meeting national aspirations and advancing the collective best interests of citizens towards achieving a better society. It is only in a rogue democracy, or more precisely, in a kakistocracy such as the one we are in today, that the legislature would sit down to make laws that actually lower society’s ethical standards,” the statement said.
The party expressed particular concern about the provision dealing with certificate forgery. Under Nigeria’s Constitution, several sections disqualify anyone who submits forged academic certificates or credentials to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria’s election management body.
“How can any self-respecting person be happy with himself for presiding over the making of a law that now says the election of an individual can no longer be challenged on the grounds of certificate forgery as provided in Section 138 of the Electoral Act 2026, even though this is in direct contradiction to Sections 66, 107, 137, and 182 of the Constitution, which clearly disqualify anyone who has presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from holding public office?” the party said.
According to the African Democratic Congress, the change creates a direct conflict between the constitution of Nigeria and the amended electoral law.
The party continued, “This amended legislation not only creates a troubling constitutional conflict, but it also shows how far a desperate political party like the APC would go in bringing the country down to its level. It is difficult to imagine a more damaging message to send to Nigerians, particularly to our young people, than the suggestion that certificate forgery should no longer have serious consequences.”
Nigeria’s ruling party is the All Progressives Congress (APC), which currently controls the presidency and holds a majority in the National Assembly.
The African Democratic Congress said legislation that appears to protect dishonest conduct could weaken Nigeria’s democratic credibility internationally.
“What kind of lawmakers gather together to conceive, deliberate, and pass legislation that appears designed to protect dishonesty rather than punish it? Such actions not only weaken our democracy; they lower the moral estimation of our country in the eyes of the world and reinforce the dangerous stereotype that corruption is acceptable in Nigerian public life.”
The party also warned that Nigerians would eventually judge political leaders based on their legislative decisions and their impact on democratic institutions.
“If Senator Akpabio wishes to concern himself with the activities of the opposition, that is his choice. But Nigerians will ultimately judge leaders not by their ridicule of the opposition, but by their record. And as it stands, the legacy of this National Assembly will be that of the most spineless and compromised legislature in Nigeria’s democratic history, a legislature that made a law which lowered the nation’s ethical standard just to serve the interest of one man.
“While Senator Akpabio can continue to mock the opposition as much as he likes, it is important to note that as a growing party and the choice of millions of Nigerians, the ADC remains focused on building a credible political alternative capable of restoring integrity, competence, and accountability to governance in our country. History is patient. And when the story of this period in Nigeria’s democratic journey is written, Nigerians will remember those who stood to defend the integrity of our democracy, and those who chose to weaken it.”
The Electoral Act 2026 has already triggered political debate across Nigeria as parties, legal experts, and civil society groups review the implications of the amendments for future elections in Africa’s most populous country.
