Electoral Shake-Up: Senator Ireti Kingibe Exposes Deep Flaws In New Law

The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has said that key sections of the Electoral Act were significantly altered from what was originally agreed upon by reform committees.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Kingibe made the claim on Monday during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time, where she expressed concern over discrepancies between the draft worked on by the Electoral Reform Committee and the final version of the law.

According to her, she served on the committee that spent about two years developing the electoral reform document, which involved members of the Senate, House of Representatives, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and civil society organisations. She said the goal was to produce a framework that would guarantee free and fair elections.

However, she alleged that the final document presented contained major changes that were not part of the original agreement.

Kingibe stated that certain provisions appeared to have been altered or removed, insisting that what was eventually published did not reflect the version the committee produced. She added that she still has copies of the original drafts for comparison.

She also questioned some of the reported changes relating to election materials and security features, noting that Nigeria has consistently used secure ballot papers in past elections and expressing surprise at some of the claims attributed to the final Act.

The senator concluded that, despite the extensive bipartisan work done during the reform process, “every aspect” of the document appeared to have been changed from what was initially agreed upon.