Reps Minority Leader Raises Alarm Over Threat To 2027 Polls Integrity 

Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, has raised the alarm over a provision within the Electoral Act, 2026 that threatened the integrity of the 2027 basic election.

Raising a matter of previledge, Dasuki mentioned he and others have submitted motions to the House to look into the difficulty and the necessity for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to inform the House how ready it’s for subsequent yr’s polls however the legislative devices had not been listed for consideration after a number of months.

“I’m bringing two issues of privileges earlier than the House this morning. One of them is on the subject of a movement, Mr. Speaker, that’s written on my own and the Whip of this House, which you signed on the twenty second of July, 2026. Mr. Speaker, instantly, you gave us the chance to current this movement, the place we despatched it to the Rules and Business Committee.

“Unfortunately, two days after we shut down the Parliament, per week after, we thought the practises of the House, because the management, has a chance to current its motions first.

“Secondly, Mr. Speaker, Honourable Colleagues, we have already got one other invoice that the journal is earlier than us, which we consider is our proper to deliver motions and payments. Mr. Speaker, earlier than me here’s a journal on the tenth of June, 2026.

“From that journal, Bill 2780 was considered on the twenty first of July, and the subsequent one is 2781, which is on my own and the minority leaders. Mr. Speaker, right now we have now 2781. It will likely be fascinating for you and the House to know the movement and the payments should do with the integrity of the 2026 election.

“Mr. Speaker, the invoice particularly, we’re taking a look at what Section 88, Subsection 2 of the Constitution says. If you take a look at it, that’s what we did in that invoice.

“Today, as we are talking, the 2026 Electoral Act has some credibility problems, and that is what we wanted to tackle,” he mentioned.

Dasuki mentioned Section 63, Subsection of the Electoral Act gave a polling unit officer or a presiding officer the chance to simply accept any paper that isn’t having the marks or any safety characteristic of INEC.

“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.

According to Dasuki, “on the subject of the movement, Mr. Speaker, which you agreed, was on the subject of the preparation of INEC. How ready are they? We agreed within the movement to name INEC Chairman, to come back and transient us on the subject of the readiness of the 2027 election.

“And that’s what is within the invoice, and that’s what is within the movement. Our concern, Mr. Speaker, is that on the subject of funding, INEC, we’re praying 30% shouldn’t occur to INEC however the chairman must be earlier than us to clarify to us whether or not he’s prepared for that. In view of the election for the primary time, we’re having safety challenges throughout the nation.

“We don’t wish to wait till on the eve of the election earlier than we all know what and what INEC goes to do. And we’re the one ones as empowered within the structure to ask the INEC how prepared they’re. So, Mr. Speaker, in your personal knowledge, we’re pleading that you just do what we count on, which is to get these payments and the movement to be debated earlier than the ground.

“Mr. Speaker, it would interest you to know, today, the next bill is 2792. Ours is 2781. So we have 10 days in between.”

Responding, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen presiding promised to look into the matter of previledge however puzzled whereas the lawmaker didn’t deliver it at a current management assembly however select the plenary.

“Just just a few days in the past, we had a management assembly, and also you had an excellent alternative to deliver up this challenge. So I don’t know why you might have chosen to come back and talk about about this matter right here.

“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 said.