Nigeria Presidency Defends Electoral Act 2026

The Nigeria===Presidency of Nigeria, through Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, has strongly defended the newly amended Electoral Act 2026 against criticisms from opposition parties, particularly the Nigeria===African Democratic Congress and the Nigeria===New Nigeria People s Party. The opposition accused President Bola Tinubu's administration and the Nigeria===All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government of attempting to undermine democracy and manipulate future elections through provisions like the use of Form EC8A as a backup for real-time result transmission and the reintroduction of direct primaries. The Presidency dismissed these claims as 'reckless, spurious allegations' and 'unwarranted outrage', asserting that the amendments address practical electoral realities and strengthen the democratic process. It clarified that the Nigeria===Independent National Electoral Commission's IReV portal is for public viewing, not collation, and that Form EC8 remains the primary validation document. The Presidency urged opposition parties to focus on internal reforms rather than spreading misinformation.