Our Reporter, Abuja
Leading presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Obi, has launched a scathing attack on the Nigerian Senate over its rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results, describing the action as an “unforgivable act of electoral manipulation” and a direct assault on democracy ahead of the 2027 general election.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday, Obi said the Senate’s decision exposed a deliberate attempt to undermine transparency and entrench chaos in the country’s electoral process, warning that Nigeria was once again validating its reputation as a “now disgraced nation.”
The former Anambra State governor said he deliberately delayed commenting on the controversial amendment to the Electoral Act out of respect for the more than 150 lives reportedly lost in a tragic incident in Kwara State.
“Let us all pause and pray for the souls of over 150 innocent lives lost in Kwara yesterday,” Obi said, adding that the tragedy underscored the broader failure of leadership and governance in the country.
Turning to the Senate’s action, Obi accused lawmakers of consciously weakening electoral safeguards to serve narrow interests.
“The Senate’s blatant rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results is an unforgivable act of electoral manipulation ahead of 2027,” he said.
He described the move as “nothing short of a deliberate assault on Nigeria’s democracy,” arguing that by rejecting clear transparency measures, the legislature was “eroding the very foundation of credible elections.”
Obi posed a series of pointed questions at the political leadership, asking whether government existed “to ensure order and justice, or to institutionalise chaos,” and whether its purpose was “to serve the people, or to fulfil the sinister ambitions of a select few.”
Recalling the controversies that trailed the 2023 general election, Obi said much of the turmoil, disputes and loss of public trust stemmed from the refusal to fully implement electronic transmission of results.
“Nigerians were fed excuses of a fabricated ‘glitch’ that never existed,” he said.
“While numerous African nations adopt electronic transmission to bolster democracy, Nigeria, the supposed giant of Africa, shamelessly lags behind, dragging the continent backwards.”
The former Labour Party leader also took aim at the political elite, accusing them of hypocrisy and deliberate resistance to reform.
“We are wasting time hosting conferences and drafting papers on Nigeria’s problems while we, the leaders and elite, are the real issue,” he said.
He warned that rejecting electronic transmission amounted to entrenching disorder designed to perpetuate confusion “according to the whims of a small clique,” and questioned whether the country’s leaders had given serious thought to the future of coming generations.
Obi linked the Senate’s action to past unflattering remarks about Nigeria by foreign leaders, noting that the country continued to justify those labels through its actions.
“When the former Prime Minister of the UK labelled us ‘fantastically corrupt,’ we reacted defensively. When President Donald Trump declared us a ‘now disgraced nation,’ we were incensed,” he said.
“Yet, with every act of resistance against transparency and reform, we continue to affirm their claims.”
He issued a stern warning ahead of the next election cycle, declaring that “the criminality witnessed in 2023 will not be tolerated in 2027,” and called on Nigerians to prepare to “rise up, resist, and reject the backward trajectory” through legitimate and decisive means.
Obi also urged the international community to pay attention, warning that the rejection of electronic transmission laid the groundwork for future electoral manipulation, with grave implications for Nigeria’s democracy and development.
