Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has cautioned the 10th Senate against decisions she warned could deepen public anger and weaken Nigeria’s democratic process.
Ezekwesili’s remark followed the handling of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026, passed by the lawmakers on Wednesday after a prolonged deliberation.
The bill, while approving changes to election timelines, penalties for electoral offences and the deployment of voting technology, rejected a proposal seeking to make real-time electronic transmission of election results mandatory.
Speaking on Friday on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, the former Education Minister accused members of the political class, particularly senators, of taking actions that continually distance citizens from the democratic process.
Ezekwesili said public outrage over the decision was both expected and justified, given what she described as repeated instances of poor judgment by lawmakers.
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“Stop playing with fire. It’s almost as if the political class, especially as exemplified by the Senate, just wakes up every morning and says, ‘What shall we do today to upset Nigerians?
“Now, anyone who at all supports the idea that it is okay for citizens to not be very annoyed at the excesses and the sheer lack of even wisdom on the part of our senators — I don’t know where that person is reading from,” she said.
While cautioning against violence, the former minister stressed that Nigerians must remain active in defending democratic principles and holding elected officials accountable.
“Nobody wants anybody to be incited, but citizens must know that they are acting within their right when they exercise what Thomas Jefferson, one of the legendary presidents of the United States, said — that eternal vigilance is the price that citizens pay for freedom, for liberty,” she said.
Ezekwesili further warned against the concentration of power in the hands of lawmakers, insisting that Nigeria’s democracy belongs to its citizens.
“These senators cannot run Nigeria as though it were their fiefdom. Nigerian democracy belongs to the people; it doesn’t belong to the politicians,” she added.
The Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill has continued to generate widespread debate, particularly over the rejection of provisions mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results.
Several civil society organisations and political analysts have argued that electronic transmission remains critical to improving electoral transparency and rebuilding public confidence, especially in the aftermath of controversies surrounding the 2023 general elections.
