2027 General elections:  National Assembly Should  Pass Electoral Act Amendment Bill – Ahumibe  …says there is urgent need to end legislative delay 

By Anyi Lemchi

Constitutional and Human Rights Lawyer, Barr Ikenna Ahumibe has called on Nigeria National Assembly to immediately pass Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law.

Ahumibe who stated this in a press release he made available to Starpost Express on over the weekend, pointed out that the  continued delay by the National Assembly in passing the electoral Act Amendment Bill, where the bill expressly provides for electronic transmission of results, is a direct affront to constitutional democracy and an unjustified betrayal of the Nigerian people.

He maintained that Section 14 (2) (a) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) is clear and uncompromising. Sovereignty belongs to the people, adding that Elections are the primary mechanism through which  sovereignty is exercised.

 “Any electoral framework that entrenches opacity, manual manipulation or avoidable human interference, undermines the people’s sovereign will and offends the spirit and letter of the Constitution.”

He stated.

 Ahumibe further argued that electronic transmission of results is a fundamental standard in all modern democracies and failure to adopt it undermines electoral integrity.

According to him, “The National Assembly cannot ignore this fact; when it frustrates electoral transparency, it calls its own authority into question. A legislature that undermines the sovereignty of the people cannot hide behind procedure or politics. What is required is decisive legislative action now and not after another compromised election circle.”

” I therefore issue this direct demand, the Electoral ACT Amendment Bil must be passed before the end of January 2026 to allow INEC to publish its election timetable in a timely manner. Any delay or failure to do so will be reasonably interpreted as legislative complicity in electoral malpractice”.

“History will not be kind to a parliament that chose delay over democracy and secrecy over sovereignty.”