Akpabio Reveals February Timeline For Tinubu’s Signature On Amended Electoral Act

Senate President Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday announced that President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the amended Electoral Act into law by February, despite growing nationwide protests and public outcry over the controversial removal of the phrase “real-time” from provisions on electronic transmission of election results.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Akpabio made the revelation during Tuesday’s Senate plenary, while also disclosing that the Senate’s conference committee has been expanded from nine to twelve members to match the delegation from the House of Representatives.

“We have increased our numbers from nine to twelve to align with our colleagues in the House of Representatives. We expect everything to be finalized in the next few days or within a week. The President is expected to sign this into law in February,” Akpabio stated.

His remarks came as the #OccupyNASS protests continued outside the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, with civil society groups, opposition figures, and human rights activists calling for electoral transparency.

Among the demonstrators was Omoyele Sowore, former presidential candidate and leader of the African Action Congress (AAC), who accused the political elite of enacting regressive laws that undermine the credibility of elections.

“This provision existed before; it is not new. That is why it is shocking that it was removed from the Electoral Act, which Akpabio and his allies are now trying to reinstate,” Sowore said.

He further claimed that Nigeria’s political class fears transparent processes that would expose their unpopularity.

“These people cannot win in free and fair elections. But citizens have a duty to demand processes that guarantee free, legal, and transparent elections,” he added.

Sowore Calls for Electronic Voting, Not Just Transmission

While public concern has focused on the removal of “real-time” electronic transmission, Sowore argued that the emphasis should shift to electronic voting, insisting that electoral integrity starts at the point of voting, not just result collation.

“My preference is not even electronic transmission of results, because what is transmitted at the end of the day is often already manipulated. I am more interested in electronic voting,” he said.

He also criticized the heavy security presence at the protest, describing it as an attempt to intimidate citizens exercising their constitutional rights.

“It is the job of security forces to protect the country, not to attack peaceful protesters. I have warned them that any provocation could trigger unpredictable consequences,” Sowore stated.

Highlighting growing public frustration, he urged security agents to act professionally and avoid escalating tensions.

“Nigerians are extremely angry right now, but the duty of security forces is simply to maintain law and order, nothing more, nothing less,” he said.

Reaffirming his call for radical reform, Sowore dismissed incremental measures, insisting that sweeping political change is necessary to address Nigeria’s challenges.

“I am not for baby steps. I am a revolutionary. Only revolution can solve this problem; that has always been my stance,” he added.

Sowore described the protest at the National Assembly as a clear sign of increasing political consciousness among Nigerians.

“When we arrived here, you could feel the silent revolutionaries awakening. People realized their collective strength when they saw that we were united,” he said.