ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Kenneth Okonkwo, has launched a scathing attack on Senate President Godswill Akpabio over the controversy surrounding the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, calling for his removal from office.
Okonkwo made the remarks on Sunday while speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, aired on Channels Television, in reaction to the Senate’s decision to retain the existing provision on the electronic transmission of election results.
Describing the Senate President’s role in the process as damaging to Nigeria’s democracy, Okonkwo accused Akpabio of deliberately sustaining electoral manipulation.
“What it means is that Senator Godswill Akpabio has become an enemy of democracy and is sticking to the vicious cycle of election rigging, manipulation, falsification, and subterfuge by trying to maintain the same provision that the Supreme Court told you that if you do, you are an enemy of democracy,” Okonkwo said.
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He went further to demand Akpabio’s exit from office, insisting that his continued leadership of the Red Chamber undermines democratic reforms.
“That man is an enemy of democracy and should be removed if he doesn’t resign,” he added.
The comments come days after the Senate passed the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Amendment Bill 2026 through third reading.
Central to the controversy is Clause 60(3) of the bill, which deals with the electronic transmission of election results. On Wednesday, the Senate opted to retain the provision as contained in the 2022 Electoral Act, rather than adopt proposed amendments that would have made real-time electronic transmission mandatory.
In the same sitting, lawmakers also rejected a proposal seeking to impose a 10-year ban on vote-buyers, choosing instead to retain the existing penalties of jail terms and fines.
The Senate’s decision has since sparked widespread criticism from political actors, civil society groups and sections of the public, with calls for greater electoral transparency and reforms dominating national discourse.