The Arewa Consultative Forum ACF, has raised the alarm over alleged alterations to provisions of the Electoral Act by the National Assembly, describing the development as dangerous to Nigeria’s democracy and demanding that it be stopped immediately.
The pan-Northern socio-political organisation said the alleged alterations, coming after the bill had been duly passed by the legislature, amounted to an assault on the integrity of the lawmaking process.
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The ACF made its position known on Tuesday through its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, during an interview with The PUNCH Online in Kaduna.
Muhammad-Baba said the forum was deeply concerned by what he described as emerging circumstances in which allegations were being raised about the contents of bills emanating from the National Assembly.
He noted that the issue of alleged tampering with legislation was not new, recalling that similar concerns had previously been raised over other laws before the current controversy surrounding the Electoral Act.
“We have great concern with the emerging circumstances where allegations arise about the content of bills from the National Assembly,” Muhammad-Baba said.
He added, “Most worrying is the evidence of tampering with provisions after legislation has been duly passed. It was the total laws before, now the Electoral Bill.”
The ACF spokesperson stressed that Nigeria operates a democratic system in which the decisions of the National Assembly, as passed by elected representatives of the people, must be respected and treated as inviolable.
“We are practising a democracy, warts and all, and the decisions of the National Assembly, as passed by elected representatives, must be treated as sacrosanct—nothing else,” he said.
Muhammad-Baba warned that any tendency to alter laws after passage, regardless of the reasons behind it, posed a serious threat to democratic governance.
According to him, “The emerging tendency to tinker with the laws must be resisted, no matter the motivation of any interests.”
He also commended the lawmakers who drew public attention to the alleged tampering, describing their actions as courageous and patriotic.
“Those National Assembly members who expose such tampering must be saluted and celebrated for their courage and patriotism, which we urge them to sustain,” he stated.
Muhammad-Baba further cautioned that failure to hold those responsible accountable would encourage impunity and further weaken public trust in the country’s institutions.
“That no one gets to be held to account for such egregious behaviour encourages impunity, as well as exposes Nigeria as a nation ruled through fraud,” he said.
He added that such actions eroded what little confidence citizens, facing various existential challenges, still had in government, particularly the legislature.
The statement comes amid national controversy over the Senate’s recent passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026.
In the approved Act, the upper chamber rejected proposals to make real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) mandatory.
Instead, it retains discretionary provisions that allow INEC to determine transmission methods.
This decision has sparked widespread accusations of tampering or weakening electoral transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Critics, including opposition figures and civil society organisations, claimed that removing explicit “real-time” requirements in the provision opens the door to manipulation, fraud, and post-election interference.
The move sparked protests at the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Monday, led by prominent figures, including former presidential candidate Peter Obi, and groups such as the Obidient Movement.
The Senate has, however, defended the position, clarifying that electronic transmission remains permissible and stating practical concerns like potential network issues in some areas prompted removal of the “real-time” clause.
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The ACF, meanwhile, called for the restoration of the integrity of the Electoral Act as duly passed and urged the Senate to take firm steps to ensure that any form of tampering with legislation was halted immediately.
Punch