#FixPolitics Africa has condemned the Senate over what it described as a “brazen betrayal of electoral reform and the rule of law”
#FixPolitics has demanded immediate public clarification of the exact provisions passed by the Senate on the Electoral Act amendment, the restoration of mandatory electronic transmission of election results, and accountability from Senate leadership over what it described as a betrayal of electoral reform and the rule of law.
In a strongly worded statement on Thursday, Executive Director of #FixPolitics Africa, Anthony Ubani, said the Senate must make the full and final text of the amended law available to Nigerians and initiate a transparent legislative review process to address allegations that the version announced as passed differed from what lawmakers voted on.
According to the group, the controversy surrounding the passage of the bill represents “a direct assault on electoral integrity and public trust,” noting that the Senate’s handling of the process has deepened public outrage.
“What played out in the Senate over the Electoral Act amendment is not a misunderstanding. It is not a technical error. It is a direct assault on electoral integrity and public trust,” Ubani said.
He described as “grave, dangerous and unacceptable” reports that senators openly disputed the content of the bill announced as passed, warning that such contradictions undermine democracy.
“A bill touching the very foundation of our democracy was passed under a cloud of dispute, with senators openly alleging that the version announced as ‘passed’ is not the version they voted for,” he stated.
#FixPolitics said the development was particularly troubling given previous allegations that a tax law passed by the National Assembly had been altered after passage, an issue it said remains unresolved.
“When laws can be altered after voting, the rule of law collapses. When lawmakers themselves dispute the content of laws, citizens lose faith,” the statement read, adding that repeated breaches of trust risk hollowing out Nigeria’s democracy.
The group criticised the Senate’s refusal to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory, despite sustained public advocacy and lessons from past elections.
“Nigerians did not ask for loopholes. They asked for certainty. They did not ask for discretion. They asked for safeguards. Instead, they got ambiguity by design,” Ubani said.
#FixPolitics also questioned the institutional capacity of the Senate, noting that despite the huge cost of maintaining the legislature, it failed to deliver clarity on one of the most consequential laws in the country’s democratic process.
“This is not just incompetence. It is deliberate mischief and an abuse of public trust,” the group declared.
It warned that at a time of economic hardship, insecurity and democratic anxiety, the perception that lawmakers are prioritising political advantage over the sanctity of the vote poses a serious threat to democratic stability.
The organisation therefore called for the immediate actions including:
“Immediate public clarification of the exact provisions passed, with the full and final text made available to Nigerians.
“A transparent legislative review process to resolve all discrepancies and allegations of alteration, no backroom fixes, no quiet substitutions.
“The restoration of mandatory electronic transmission of results as a non-negotiable pillar of electoral integrity.
“Public accountability from Senate leadership for the contradictions and failures that have brought the institution into disrepute.
Ubani cautioned the Senate to reflect on Nigeria’s political history, warning that legislatures are often the first casualties when democratic rule collapses.
“Those who benefit most from democracy should be the first to defend it, clearly, consistently, and without compromise,” he said.
He added that the Senate now faces a defining choice.
“The Senate must choose: stand with the people, or stand exposed before history. Nigeria deserves laws that protect the vote, not weaken it,” Ubani said.
