The Nyesom Wike has criticised former Rotimi Amaechi and other opposition figures, accusing them of hypocrisy over the ongoing debate on electronic transmission of election results in the recently signed 2026 Electoral Act.
Wike made the remarks on Monday during a media briefing, responding to criticisms from opposition parties regarding a clause in the law that allows manual transmission of results when electronic systems fail due to poor network coverage.
The minister alleged that Amaechi, who served in the previous government under former President Muhammadu Buhari, had previously opposed the electronic transmission provision, warning that its adoption could jeopardize their political interests.
“People like Rotimi Amaechi were in government, they said, ‘no, don’t sign, if you sign, you lose the election’. And this is the same person now coming out in public to say there should be electronic transmission, but he refused simply because he felt his boss would be affected,” Wike said.
He stressed that the new Electoral Act does not abolish electronic transmission but introduces safeguards to prevent voter disenfranchisement when technology fails. “All they said is in case, and which is likely, let us not disenfranchise people by not allowing their votes to be counted,” he added.
Wike also defended another key provision of the law that mandates political parties to adopt direct primaries in selecting candidates, arguing that the previous indirect primary system allowed wealthy politicians, including governors and ministers, to dominate party structures and influence nominations. He described the direct primary system as a reform that gives party members greater influence and curbs elite manipulation.
The minister further criticised what he termed a culture of constant complaints among Nigerians, pointing out that many who previously opposed indirect primaries for empowering party elites are now resisting reforms designed to address the issue.
Opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress and New Nigerian Peoples Party, had last week called on the National Assembly to initiate fresh amendments to the law, describing some provisions as “obnoxious” and warning they could undermine electoral transparency and public confidence in Nigeria’s voting process.
ELIJAH ADEYEMI
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