A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of undermining Nigeria’s democracy over the controversy surrounding the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and has called for his removal from office.
Okonkwo made the remarks on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, aired on Channels Television on Sunday, while reacting to the Senate’s handling of the proposed amendments to the Electoral Act.
According to him, Akpabio’s role in retaining contentious provisions of the bill contradicts Supreme Court rulings and weakens public confidence in the electoral process.
“What it means is that Senator Godswill Akpabio has become an enemy of democracy,” Okonkwo said.
“By insisting on provisions the Supreme Court has clearly warned against, he is sustaining a vicious cycle of election rigging, manipulation and falsification.”
He added that the Senate President should either resign or be removed from office if he continues on the same path.
“That man is an enemy of democracy and should be removed if he doesn’t resign,” Okonkwo stated.
The Electoral Act Amendment Bill passed its third reading in the Senate last week. A key provision, Clause 60(30), deals with the electronic transmission of election results.
While the Red Chamber retained the provision for electronic transfer of results as contained in the 2022 Electoral Act, it rejected proposals for real-time transmission of results as well as a 10-year ban on vote-buying.
Instead, lawmakers opted to maintain existing penalties, including jail terms and fines, for electoral offences.
The Senate’s decision has continued to attract criticism from political actors and civil society groups, many of whom argue that stronger safeguards are needed to ensure transparent and credible elections in Nigeria.
