Prominent Nigerian activist, journalist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has sharply criticised Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the recently signed Electoral Act (Amendment) Act 2026, particularly the provisions relating to electronic transmission of election results.
In a series of scathing posts on X (formerly Twitter) and live broadcasts on his Sahara Reporters platform on Thursday 19 of February, 2026, Sowore described the law as “a legalised rigging machine disguised as reform” and accused the APC leadership of deliberately retaining loopholes that allow result manipulation at collation centres.
Sowore’s Criticism: He specifically targeted the fallback clause in the new Section 60(3), which permits manual transmission of results in cases of “verifiable technical failure,” calling it “the most dangerous poison pill ever inserted into Nigeria’s electoral law.”
Sowore accused Senate President Akpabio of leading the charge to “kill real-time electronic transmission” during the harmonisation process, claiming the Senate President personally watered down the original mandatory language to protect the ruling party’s interests in 2027.
Subscribe To The Best Team In Conservative, Business, Technology, Lifestyle And Digital News Realtime! support@ddnewsonline.com
He alleged that “APC governors, senators and House members were instructed from above to ensure manual collation remains as a backdoor for rigging,” adding that the protests at the National Assembly gates (#MattressRevolution) were deliberately ignored and teargassed because “the government fears the power of the people more than it fears God.”
Sowore warned that if the law is not revisited or struck down by the courts, “2027 will be the most brazenly rigged election in Nigeria’s history, and the consequences will be far worse than 2023.”
The controversy continues to fuel public debate and online mobilisation as Nigeria counts down to the 2027 general elections.
By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
Send tips to: adeyemi@ddnewsonline.com | 08168555497