By Kunle Oyatomi
THE 2027 general elections are just about 11 months away. While the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is striving to brighten its chances, President Bola Tinubu is putting in place measures to ensure impartiality.
Despite the President’s visible efforts in ensuring that everyone has a fair outing, lagging political parties are latching onto the Electoral Act to conceal their lack of readiness for the forthcoming general polls.
Although a change of date is being considered by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the commission has fixed February 20, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections and March 6, 2027, for governorship and state assembly polls.
However, I would bet my bottom Naira on the fact that the unnecessary outrage, poorly dramatised protest and financially induced accidental experts kicking against the carefully formulated and implemented Electoral Act are borne out of their under preparedness, even though the document was designed to strengthen the democratic process and ensure fairness.
The dramatis personae in this show of shame are known. Their records, those of their foundering parties and their unseeable activities since preparations commenced for this democratic ritual are in the public domain.
First is ADC’s uncoordinated Obi, whose base has deserted him. Second is ADC’s unstrategic Amaechi, who has no leg to stand on. Third is AAC’s political immature Sowore, who should return to school to teach student unionism. Fourth are the lawmakers scared of their prospects in 2027. The unifying force: complacency and lack of understanding.
Asked about his new colleagues and their show of shame over the Electoral Act, Sowore said: “We welcome them and the new activists, but they are fair-weather friends of the activist community. They will do this briefly and then return to their comfort zones. It shows that when their interests are affected, they know what to do.”
But is their interest really affected or they do not understand the Act, which was enacted to guarantee a credible election?
The 2026 Electoral Act introduced notable reforms which, if abided by, is capable of shooting our democracy to a higher level. For instance, the introduction of a downloadable voter card shows a shift towards modernisation. The good thing about that is that instead of spending hours at INEC offices to collect physical cards, voters can now access them digitally through official platforms.
Also, the law reduces the timeline for releasing election funds to INEC from 12 months to six, enabling adjustments that would streamline preparations, reduce prolonged political tension and improve institutional efficiency.
That is not all. While the law removes the National ID Card and Driver’s Licence from the accepted documents for voter registration, it further shortens the timeline for disbursing election funds to the Independent National Electoral Commission, compresses the deadline for submission of candidates’ lists by political parties, and reduces the window for publishing final candidate lists before elections.
In the Act, a stricter penalty for electoral offences has been introduced. For instance, under section 125(1-2), there is two years’ imprisonment or a fine ranging between N500,000 and N2 million, or both, for offences such as vote buying, impersonation and result manipulation.
Section 60(6) prescribes a six-month imprisonment or a fine of N500,000 or both against any presiding officer, who willfully frustrates the electronic transmission of election result.
The last point should be a concern to those who keep pushing the agenda that the ruling party has a deliberate intention to use physical Form EC8A to rig elections. Who would conceive such a plan yet prescribe a six months’ imprisonment or a fine of N500,000 or both against any presiding officer, who willfully frustrates the electronic transmission of election result?
It is disheartening that people who have brains to think and platforms to educate some uninformed Nigerians on the beauty of this Electoral Act are instead stoking opposition against it.
Good thing is that, except for a few influenced voices, majority of the populace who know what is best for them are super-charged to cast their ballots for their preferred party in 2027.
What better way to show that energy and their political preference than the council poll held in Abuja, the seat of power over the weekend?
The results that I saw on INEC’s IRev portal while putting together this piece showed the APC to be dominant in four of the area councils in the FCT: Abuja Municipal Area Council, Bwari, Kwali and Abaji.
In Kwali Local Government Area of the FCT, I could see that the APC had polled 2,726 votes, while the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, had 2,104 votes and the African Democratic Congress had 180 votes across surveyed polling units.
In Kuje Council Area, the APC led with 615 votes; in Abuja Municipal Area Council, the APC recorded 2,520 votes, which was far higher than any opposition party.
Tell me that Nigerians are unhappy with President Bola Tinubu and the APC, and I will show you who and where their political interest lies.
