Rep challenges 2026 Electoral Act on accepting ballot papers without security features – Daily Trust

The Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki (ADC, Sokoto), has raised issues over a provision of the Electoral Act 2026 which he mentioned might undermine the integrity and credibility of the 2027 common election.
Dasuki, who raised the difficulty beneath issues of privilege throughout plenary yesterday, urged the House to contemplate pending legislative proposals looking for to handle alleged loopholes within the legislation and assess the preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for subsequent 12 months’s polls.
He expressed concern {that a} movement looking for to ask the INEC chairman to temporary lawmakers on the fee’s readiness for the final elections, alongside a invoice proposing amendments to the Electoral Act, had but to be scheduled for consideration months after being referred to the related committee.
The lawmaker mentioned the movement, which he co-sponsored with the House Whip, was signed by the Speaker on July 22, 2026, and subsequently referred to the Committee on Rules and Business.
He additionally cited a legislative journal dated June 10, 2026, which, in response to him, confirmed that Bill 2780 had been thought of on July 21, whereas the subsequent invoice, numbered 2781 and sponsored by him and the minority management, remained pending.
Dasuki mentioned the invoice sought to handle issues in regards to the integrity of the electoral course of, significantly a provision of Section 63 of the Electoral Act 2026, which he alleged might permit polling officers to just accept ballot papers without the required INEC security features.
“Today, as we are talking, the 2026 Electoral Act has some credibility problems, and that is what we wanted to tackle,” he mentioned.
He likened the alleged loophole to a scenario by which counterfeit foreign money may very well be accepted by a financial institution just because it was included in a bundle of cash.
“It’s just like you saying, go to the bank, collect money. If you have the fake money inside the bank, for as long as it’s in the bundle, that means it’s accepted,” he mentioned.
The deputy minority chief additionally urged the House to ask the INEC chairman to elucidate the fee’s degree of preparedness for the 2027 common election, citing issues over funding and security challenges throughout the nation.
He warned in opposition to ready till shortly earlier than the election to evaluate the fee’s readiness, arguing that the National Assembly had the constitutional authority to demand a proof from INEC.
“We don’t want to wait until on the eve of the election before we know what and what INEC is going to do. And we are the only ones as empowered in the constitution to ask the INEC how ready they are,” he mentioned.
Dasuki additional expressed concern in regards to the fee’s funding, urging lawmakers to ascertain whether or not it had ample assets to conduct the election.
He appealed to the Speaker to make sure that the pending invoice and movement had been scheduled for debate, noting that the subsequent invoice listed for consideration was numbered 2792, whereas his invoice was 2781.
Responding, Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, assured Dasuki that he would look into the matter and discover the potential for scheduling the movement for consideration throughout the week.
However, the Speaker questioned why the lawmaker had chosen to boost the difficulty throughout plenary as a substitute of bringing it up at a latest management assembly, the place he mentioned it might have been mentioned.
“Just a few days ago, we had a leadership meeting, and you had a very good opportunity to bring up this issue. So I don’t know why you have chosen to come and discuss this matter here,” Abbas mentioned.
He, nonetheless, dismissed solutions of any sinister motive behind the delay, assuring the lawmaker that the matter would obtain consideration.
“I have heard you, and I want to assure you that there is nothing sinister about this. I have heard what you have said. I will look at your issue, and we will try as much as possible within the week to accommodate the motion that you already brought before the parliament in July,” he mentioned.