The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, on Sunday, clarified that all the provisions of the 2026 Electoral Act were products of stakeholders’ consensus and not of legislative fiat as being peddled among some opposition leaders.
Bamidele, who also served on the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, added that the enactment of the new electoral regime was consistent with the global best practices, saying it was not introduced for any self-serving purpose.
He made these clarifications in the Easter message released by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, challenging all political actors to emulate the virtues of sacrifice and tolerance that Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection portray.
According to the statement, “the opposition parties, especially the African Democratic Congress (ADC), had severally alleged that the National Assembly introduced Section 77(1-7) of the Electoral Act, 2026 to frustrate their efforts to defeat the ruling party in 2027.
“They had equally frowned at Section 84(1-3) of the Electoral Act, which limited the procedure for the nomination of candidates by political parties for the various elective positions to either direct primaries or consensus”.
In his Easter message, however, Bamidele faulted all the claims of the opposition parties, pointing out that each provision of the Electoral Act “is informed purely by stakeholders’ consensus and not by legislative fiat.”
He said that the Act is not a product of legislative fiat, but of consensus reached by all stakeholders, including civil society organisations and development partners, among others. Now is the time we must play by the rules and not against them.
As the world celebrates the rising of Jesus Christ today, the Senate leader challenged all political leaders and parties “to consciously learn to live by the rules we collectively enacted to ensure peace, order and stability in our political system.”
He explained further that the electoral regime was consistent with the global best practices, not introduced for any self-service purpose, introducing key provisions that reinforced the culture of collective decision-making in party management.
He observed that the National Assembly “has been criticised for introducing a provision that requires each political party to submit a digital register of its members to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within a stipulated time under Section 77(1-3) of the Electoral Act.
“The provision was not introduced for any self-serving purpose. Rather, it is consistent with the global best practices and aims specifically at building a culture of collegial decision-making that governs party politics worldwide.
“Globally, political parties are founded on clearly defined convictions and persuasions. The persuasions inform the decision of every member whether to join Party X or Party Y. Membership, therefore, is not just a requirement for the party management, but indeed the lifeblood of every political party globally.
“Every member reverses the right to contribute to the decision-making process of his/her party. Such a system requires functional regulations and transparency, hence the need for the introduction of a digital party membership register. The register is to prevent powerful individuals, who are unknown to a political party, from hijacking its decision-making process.”
Bamidele also explained the rationale behind limiting the procedure for the nomination of candidates by political parties for the various elective positions to direct primaries or consensus under Section 84(1-3) of the Electoral Act.
He said the provision “is intentional and not self-serving. It aims at ending a delegate system that compromises the interests of the majority and strengthens the arms of the moneybags to hijack the primaries. With the new system, we hope all party members can participate in the nomination of candidates for all elective positions transparently.
“The final decision is now in the hands of party members. It is no longer a process where aspirants openly display cash at the venues of party primaries to compromise delegates. This new reinforces the principle of majority rule, which sits at the heart of democracy,” Bamidele said.
Moreover, he condemned, in absolute terms, the recent armed attacks in both Plateau and Kaduna States that claimed scores of lives, noting that the parliament “had been working in synergy with federal and state government to put an end to such premeditated armed attacks on vulnerable people.”
He said: “As an institution that prioritises public interest and seeks collective prosperity, the National Assembly will not fold its arms and allow rogue elements to destroy the Nation we are building for the next generation and positioning for global leadership. We are confident that the end to such criminal acts and killings is already in sight.
“We are synergising with the federal and state governments to address all the forces and triggers that fuel and escalate armed attacks nationwide. This synergy is evident in the ongoing amendment of the 2022 Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act and other legislative initiatives.
“The National Assembly is working to ensure stability in the polity and security even in the remotest parts of our Nation. The review promises to institutionalise stiffer measures against kidnappers, their financiers and informants. Unlike before, the consequence will now be maximum.”
