‘There Will Be Electoral Chaos’ – Nwankwo Urges Nigerians To Resist Senate Position On Electoral Act Amendment

The Convener of the Civil Society Situation Room, Clement Nwankwo, has expressed reservations following the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026.

Naija News reports that the Senate on Wednesday passed the bill after its third reading but rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, which sought to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory.

Nwankwo, speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Thursday, warned that the Senate’s current version could undermine the credibility of future elections.

He urged Nigerians to continue speaking out against provisions in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, adding that the version passed by the Senate does not reflect the position of the majority of lawmakers, and several senators were dissatisfied with how the decision was reached.

According to him, citizens should campaign for the adoption of the version passed by the House of Representatives, which he said better reflected public consultations and stakeholders’ inputs.

He said, “I think citizens have to raise their voices. I know that the ‘Situation Room’ organized a protest last week. I believe that this will continue.

“I think the labor unions, citizens, the media have been doing excellent job, even in your program, your analysis and your comments on these issues are so very important, and it is important that this continues.

“What I see that has been passed is really the views of those who have the power to hit the gavel and decide whether a yes is a yes or a no is a no in terms of voting.

“But I know that a lot of senators themselves are very aggrieved by the way the gavel have been hit on this matter.

“And I think that citizens should canvas that the version that the House of Representatives has passed, which is very much more in consonance with the consultations that the National Assembly has had with citizens, should be what is retained.

“But as it is today, what the National Assembly has done, the Senate, particularly, is not the views of majority of senators. I am told what has happened is going to create electoral chaos.

“There is no way that these timelines that the Senate has tampered with will stand in terms of INEC’s logistics preparations. What has happened is that electoral chaos will be created by this new timelines that the Senate has put out as its position.”