The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has accused former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and other opposition figures of displaying double standards in their criticism of provisions in the newly amended Electoral Act.
Wike made the allegation during a media chat on Monday while responding to opposition criticism of the 2026 Electoral Act recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.
The controversy centres on a clause permitting manual transmission of election results in situations where electronic transmission fails due to poor network coverage.
The minister alleged that Amaechi had previously opposed electronic transmission of results during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, arguing that the former minister discouraged the adoption of the technology on the grounds that it could affect electoral outcomes.
“People like Rotimi Amaechi were in government then and said, ‘Don’t sign it; if you sign it, you will lose the election,’” Wike claimed.
He questioned the current criticism of a provision he said was once opposed by the same political actors, describing the stance as inconsistent.
Wike maintained that the new Electoral Act does not prohibit electronic transmission of results but is designed to prevent disenfranchisement by allowing manual transmission in areas where network failure disrupts electronic systems.
“The law does not say there should be no electronic transmission. It simply provides a safeguard so that people are not disenfranchised when their votes cannot be transmitted due to network challenges,” he explained.
The FCT minister also defended another controversial aspect of the law requiring political parties to adopt direct primary elections.
According to him, the direct primary system would help reduce the dominance of party structures by wealthy political actors, including powerful officeholders such as governors and ministers, who he argued often influence candidate selection through indirect primaries.
Wike further described Nigerians as being prone to constant complaints, recalling that many had earlier criticised indirect primaries for concentrating power in the hands of political elites and “moneybags.”
Meanwhile, opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), have urged the National Assembly to reopen the amendment process of the Electoral Act 2026.
They described several provisions of the law as “anti-democratic,” arguing that the clauses could undermine electoral transparency and public trust in the voting process.
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