The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has said President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the recently amended Electoral Act into law in February, despite mounting public outrage and protests over the controversial changes.
Akpabio disclosed this during a plenary session of the Senate on Tuesday afternoon, monitored by SaharaReporters, while announcing the constitution of a 12-member Senate delegation to harmonise differences between the Senate and the House of Representatives on the electoral amendment bills.
According to him, the Senate increased the size of its conference committee from nine to 12 members to match the number from the House of Representatives, with the aim of concluding the process quickly and transmitting the final version of the bill to the President.
“We have raised our numbers from nine to twelve to match the figures from our colleagues in the House of Reps. We expect everything to be done in the next few days or in a week. The President is expected to sign this into law in February,” Akpabio said.
The Senate President’s comments come amid growing controversy, public backlash and street protests by Nigerians who accuse the National Assembly of deliberately weakening the Electoral Act to undermine credible elections.
As earlier reported, human rights activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, on Monday joined protesters under the banner of #OccupyNASS, organised by the National Opposition Movement (NOM), at the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
Sowore warned security operatives against any attempt to assault peaceful demonstrators and accused the political elite of engineering electoral laws that favour manipulation.
“This is an exposition that already existed. It is not new. That is why it is a surprise to everyone that this provision was yanked away from the Electoral Act that Akpabio and his friends are trying to put in place,” Sowore said.
He argued that the ruling political class is afraid of transparent elections because it would expose their inability to win genuinely.
“We know why they are doing it. These people cannot win in free and fair elections. But the people have a duty to demand processes that guarantee free, legal and transparent elections,” he stated.
While debates have largely focused on electronic transmission of results, Sowore said his concern goes beyond that.
“My preference is not even electronic transmission of results, because what gets transmitted at the end of the day is what has already been manipulated. I am more interested in electronic voting,” he said.
He maintained that Nigerians must collectively defend any system capable of protecting the integrity of their votes.
“Whatever people think in their minds that can protect the integrity of their votes, we must defend and support it,” Sowore added.
The activist also cautioned security agencies against repressing dissent, stressing that their constitutional responsibility is to protect citizens, not attack peaceful protesters.
“It is their job to protect the country, not to attack peaceful protesters. I have warned them that if they try that, they are starting something they cannot predict how it will end,” he said.
Sowore noted the growing frustration among Nigerians with the political system but insisted that security operatives must remain professional.
“Nigerians are very angry at this time, but security agents have a duty to maintain law and order, nothing more, nothing less,” he said.
Describing himself as a revolutionary, Sowore rejected gradual reforms, insisting that Nigeria’s political problems require radical change.
“I’m not for baby steps. I’m a revolutionary. Nothing other than revolution will solve this problem. That has always been my position,” he said.
He added that the protest at the National Assembly reflected a rising political consciousness among Nigerians.
“When we arrived here, you could tell this place was filled with silent revolutionaries. The giants in them began to awaken when they saw that we were together,” Sowore said.
Despite the resistance, Akpabio’s comments indicate that the National Assembly is pushing ahead with the amendments, setting the stage for a major confrontation between the political class and Nigerians demanding far-reaching electoral reforms.