Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), gggIreti Kingibe has expressed concerns that major provisions in the amended Electoral Act 2026 differ from what lawmakers originally worked on.
The senator alleged that sections of the law, including those relating to ballot paper security, do not align with the initial draft prepared by the electoral reform committee.
Speaking on ‘Prime Time’, an Arise Television programme, she said several components of the final legislation were altered and no longer reflect the agreements reached during stakeholder consultations.
“They (final provisions) were not in the original ones. I spoke to somebody about it. I said, ‘I can show you the document I have’,” she said.
Kingibe, who was part of the senate committee on electoral reforms, also raised concerns over what she described as the weakening or absence of essential security features on ballot papers issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“Since when, in what election have we ever conducted where INEC ballot papers did not have security measures that you can bring any type of ballot paper and vote with it? It’s never happened,” she said.
Her remarks come amid ongoing debate over provisions of the Electoral Act relating to ballot validation and counting.
While some stakeholders have raised concerns about possible loopholes, a fact-check indicated that the disputed clause largely mirrors what existed in the 2022 version of the law, with only minor wording adjustments.
The amended Electoral Act was signed into law by Bola Ahmed Tinubu on February 18, 2026.