Electoral Act Based on Consensus, Not Plot to Undermine Opposition, Says Bamidele

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja 

Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, yesterday, dismissed claims that the 2026 Electoral Act was designed to weaken opposition parties, saying its provisions were the outcome of broad-based stakeholders’ consensus rather than legislative imposition.

Bamidele, a member of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, said the new electoral framework aligned with global best practices and was enacted in national interest, not for partisan advantage.

In an Easter message by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, the senate leader urged political actors to abide by the rules collectively agreed upon, stressing that the time had come to strengthen democratic culture through compliance, not resistance.

Opposition parties, particularly the African Democratic Congress, had alleged that certain provisions of the law—especially Sections 77 and 84—were inserted to frustrate their chances ahead of the 2027 general elections.

But Bamidele rejected the claims, insisting that every clause in the legislation emerged from consultations involving political actors, civil society organisations and development partners.

According to him, the requirement for political parties to submit digital membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission was aimed at promoting transparency and preventing the hijack of party structures by unregistered power brokers.

He noted that party membership globally formed the foundation of democratic participation, adding that the digital register would ensure accountability and protect internal decision-making processes.

He also defended the restriction of candidate nomination methods to direct primaries or consensus, saying the move was deliberately designed to dismantle the delegate system, which he described as vulnerable to manipulation by moneyed interests.

He said the reform would return power to party members, curb vote-buying during primaries and reinforce the principle of majority rule in Nigeria’s democracy.

Bamidele, therefore, called on political leaders to draw lessons from the Easter season, emphasising sacrifice, tolerance and adherence to shared values as essential to nation-building.