By Achile Danjuma
The African Democratic Congress has launched a scathing attack on Senate President Godswill Akpabio over his defense of the 2026 Electoral Act, alleging the legislation was designed to protect dishonesty and undermine democratic integrity.
In a statement issued Sunday, the opposition party took aim at Akpabio’s recent comments in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where he suggested that opposition complaints about the new electoral law were proof that the Senate had gotten it right.
“The embedded logic of this statement exposes the subterfuge behind the entire business of the Electoral Amendment. It was all designed to make the ruling party and the President happy,” said Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary.
The ADC reserved its harshest criticism for Section 138 of the new law, which removes certificate forgery as grounds for challenging election results—a provision the party says creates a direct constitutional conflict with multiple sections of Nigeria’s constitution that disqualify candidates presenting forged credentials to INEC.
“What kind of lawmakers gather together to conceive, deliberate, and pass legislation that appears designed to protect dishonesty rather than punish it?” Abdullahi asked. “Such actions do not only weaken our democracy; they lower the moral estimation of our country in the eyes of the world.”
The party described the current political arrangement as a “kakistocracy”—government by the least principled citizens—and predicted that the certificate forgery provision would become “the enduring legacy of the ruling party.”
“It is difficult to imagine a more damaging message to send to Nigerians, particularly to our young people, than the suggestion that certificate forgery should no longer have serious consequences,” the statement added.
The ADC, positioning itself as a growing alternative for Nigerian voters, said it remains focused on building a credible political option capable of restoring integrity to governance, adding that “history is patient” and Nigerians will ultimately remember “those who stood to defend the integrity of our democracy, and those who chose to weaken it.”
Akpabio had made the remarks on Saturday during a reception for First Lady Remi Tinubu in Uyo.