2027 Elections: 2026 Electoral Act Will Be Used To Validate Electoral Fraud And Crime
THE 2026 Electoral Act has failed to meet the legality of international standards for the conduct of democratic elections. The Electoral Act, 2026 (EA 2026) has removed certificate forgery as the basis to challenge the outcome of an election at the tribunal. The 2026 Electoral Act is a legal fraud.
Nigeria is the only country in the world that National Assembly passes law to validate electoral fraud and crimes. 2026 Electoral Act is a good example of a legal fraud passed to validate 2027 electoral fraud and crimes. 2026 Electoral Act is a legal fraud that will lead Nigeria to political crisis during 2027 elections. National Assembly passed a fraudulent law to rig 2027 elections that will lead Nigeria to political instability. With 2026 Electoral Act, there will be pre and post- election violence during 2027 elections. Electoral Act 2026, section 85 says: “A political party shall not impose nomination, qualification or disqualification criteria, measures, or conditions on any aspirant or candidate for any election in its constitution, guidelines, or rules for nomination of candidates for elections, except as prescribed under sections 65, 66, 106, 107, 131, 137, 177 and 187 of the Constitution.”
Section 137 (1) of the 1999 Constitution states expressly: “A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if – (i) he has presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission.” Section 85 of the EA 2026 already refers to this constitutional provision which makes certificate forgery a ground for disqualification. Repeating it in an EA is a waste of time, paper and ink. The courts are not so dumb to say because forgery is not mentioned in an EA, then the constitution is void. Sections 106(1)(h), 107 (1) (h) and 182(1)(i) of the constitution list certificate forgery as basis for disqualification in different categories. And the constitution supersedes the EA.
2026 Electoral Act is reminding Nigerians of the monthly average of 19 killings occurred in pre and post-elections in Rivers State between November 2014 and April 2015, according to Rivers Commission of Inquiry. At the presentation of the final draft of the report to the Rivers State government, the Commission noted that out of the 97 allegations of killings it received, 94 of them occurred between November 15, 2014, and April 11, 2015. This report reaffirms that no state or country should allow a repeat of such violence in the name of politics,” said Chidi Odinkalu, a professor of Law and chairman of the commission. “It also shows how and why Rivers State and Nigeria must end impunity for political violence.”
Former Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mike Igini, has raised concerns over Section 63 of the newly signed Electoral Act 2026, warning that it could open the door to electoral manipulation ahead of the 2027 general elections. Igini highlighted what he described as a major flaw in the provision, which reportedly allows returning officers to accept ballot papers that do not bear official INEC security features, provided they are deemed satisfactory.
According to him, such discretion could undermine the integrity of the electoral process if not clearly defined and strictly regulated.
Critics of the provision argue that the clause may create room for politicians or political actors to print unofficial ballot papers for potential use at polling units, thereby compromising transparency and credibility. They warn that without strict safeguards, the interpretation of what qualifies as “satisfactory” ballot papers could become subjective and prone to abuse.
The ex-REC also raised concerns about Section 138, which deals with grounds for filing election petitions. Igini said the provision suggests that actions or omissions contrary to INEC directives—but not explicitly against the Electoral Act—cannot be used as grounds to challenge election results. He argued that this effectively shields electoral officers who fail to comply with INEC guidelines, noting that such directives are typically contained in the commission’s regulations.
Furthermore, Igini criticized Section 137, which he said removes the requirement to join electoral officers—such as presiding or returning officers—as respondents in election petitions involving allegations of misconduct. He expressed concern that this provision could make it difficult to hold individual officials accountable for alleged irregularities during elections.
The rejection of real-time electronic transmission of election results is a call to anarchy during Osun-Ekiti 2026 elections and Nigeria’s 2027 elections.
Thugs will be used to collate election results in 2027 elections. On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, President Bola Tinubu signed into law 2026 electoral act, a document that many believe has effectively pre-written the results of the 2027 general elections which is a call for anarchy. This “analog” loophole will allow for the “editing” of Osun-Ekiti 2026 election results between the polling unit and the final declaration. 2026 Electoral Act is a system designed to fail the voters while protecting the incumbent. Election results will be manufactured at wards and local governments’ collation centres during Osun-Ekiti 2026 off cycle elections with 2026 Electoral Act.
By rejecting the mandatory, real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units to the IReV portal, the National Assembly has received the President’s ultimate blessing. The implication is that President Tinubu has ignored the primary lesson from the 2023 elections and Edo 2024 election which is a call to anarchy. In 2027 elections, Manual collation of results will be the graveyard of the Nigerian vote and results will be manufactured. In Edo 2024 election, PDP won at the electronic collation on IREV and APC was declared winner based on manual collation at the INEC state headquarters in Benin City. Nigerians will take law into their hands during 2027 elections and going to court will not be tenable.
Electronic transmission of results should not be optional, conditional, or subject to discretionary approval. It should be an independent, mandatory, and final safeguard that protects the integrity of elections. Anything short of this undermines public trust and weakens democracy. Leaving such a critical process entirely in the hands of INEC, an institution that has often come under pressure from political interests, is a deliberate step backward.
I want to warn that public trust in INEC and Nigeria’s judiciary is eroding, driven by politicisation and the absence of consequences for public officials most especially the Supreme Court judgment on Edo 2024 election which weakened public trust in judiciary concerning electoral disputes. The controversial judgment by Supreme Court on certified 3 sets of FORM EC8A, EC8B AND EC8C results with same serial number that wereused to manipulate Edo 2024 governorship election remained the greatest threat to 2027 elections. With these certified 3 sets of results, INEC solely manipulated and rigged Edo 2024 election in favour of APC.
The greatest threat to 2027 elections are the rejection of real time electronic transmission of results and certified true copies of 3 sets of FORM EC8A, EC8B AND EC8C RESULTS WITH SAME SERIAL NUMBER of Edo 2024 governorship election that INEC used to manipulate the result and going to court in 2027 to challenge electoral disputes, will not be tenable.
I am worried that INEC now print 3 sets of results with same serial number and use them to rig election for the ruling party at the federal level. Electronic transmission of results will eliminate this. The Supreme Court is in possession of Certified True Copies of Edo 2024 3 sets of election results with same serial number which it declined to rule on.
Inwalomhe Donald writes via inwalomhe.donald@yahoo.com
