Dare Babalola
Chairman of the Movement for Credible Election, Usman Bugaje, has slammed the National Assembly for “losing credibility” over the passage of the 2026 Electoral Act, stating that the approved bill diverges from Nigerians’ expectations.
Bugaje spoke on Sunday night’s Politics Today on Channels Television amid controversy over the new Electoral Act.
The discussion was sparked by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele’s earlier claim that the Electoral Act 2026 was shaped by extensive consultations with civil society groups, the National Assembly (INEC) and other stakeholders, reflecting the majority’s wishes.
But Bugaje strongly disagreed, saying, “I don’t agree with the position of the Senate Leader, Senate Opeyemi Bamidele. And I don’t think Nigerians agree with his position.
“It is very sad that someone of his standing would speak in this manner. Is he assuming that Nigerians do not know what happened in the Senate? His own colleagues came out chanting ‘APC ole.’ The cameras were there. Nigerians saw it. You cannot insult our intelligence by pretending otherwise.”
He accused the Senate of deliberately blocking mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results and introducing ambiguity instead of clarity.
“The Senate resisted mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results. When pressure mounted, they introduced ambiguity instead of clarity. These things happened in full public view,” he added.
Bugaje argued that prior controversies had already eroded public trust in the legislature.
“Before this, there was the issue of the tax law, the version signed was reportedly different from what was passed. A committee was set up. Till today, Nigerians have heard nothing about that committee,” he said.
“So when the National Assembly has already lost credibility, what reason do we have to simply believe verbal assurances?”
At the heart of his criticism was the absence of what he described as a clear, mandatory provision for real-time electronic transmission of results.
“Nigerians have consistently demanded mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results. Eight years ago, institutions responsible for communications infrastructure confirmed 93 percent network coverage and that was during the era of 3G and 4G. Today, we have 5G.
“Bandits in remote forests upload videos on TikTok. So what infrastructure excuse are we talking about? INEC itself said during public hearings that it is ready for real-time electronic transmission. So what exactly is the problem? Unless the intention is to rig,” Bugaje argued.
He dismissed other reforms cited by the Senate as insufficient in the absence of what he called the “core transparency mechanism.”
“All these other provisions are cosmetic if the core transparency mechanism is weakened. If you truly want credible elections, insert clear mandatory real-time electronic transmission. That is the real reform,” he said.
