Former Social Democratic Party presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of fueling national tension over the controversy surrounding electronic transmission of election results, following the Senate’s passage of an electoral amendment bill that excluded a mandatory e-transmission provision.
Speaking on Monday on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Adebayo said Akpabio bowed to outside pressure, a move he argued weakens electoral transparency.
“The Senate President, receiving text messages from saboteurs, decided to set the country on fire over a minimum requirement that the elections should be seen by the public to be transparent,” Adebayo said.
The comments follow widespread public outrage after the Senate last week passed the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026 at its third reading. Lawmakers voted down a proposed change to Clause 60, Subsection 3, that would have mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission to electronically transmit results from polling units.
Adebayo, a senior figure in the SDP, also pointed to wider flaws in Nigeria’s electoral process, citing unregulated campaign financing, excessive spending and vote-buying. He called on senators to tackle the problems and uphold their responsibility as representatives of the people.
“The way to salvage the situation is for Godswill Akpabio to remember his humble beginnings, to know that he is a nobody in Nigeria,” Adebayo added. “He is only a somebody today because of the will of the people of Akwa Ibom who made him governor and also sent him to the National Assembly. He is not here to come and lecture us. He is not wiser than the next person. Where he is supposed to show leadership, he wants to make himself a mercenary to undermine democracy. The solution is for him to go back and repent.”
The Senate will hold an emergency plenary session at noon Tuesday, Febeuary 10, following a notice issued by Senate Clerk Emmanuel Odo on the directive of Senate President Godswill Akpabio. The session comes amid growing public and political pressure on the chamber to revisit Clause 60(3) of the bill, which deals with the electronic transmission of election results.
The development has renewed debate over electoral reforms ahead of future elections, with advocates maintaining that mandatory electronic transmission is critical to curbing fraud and strengthening the credibility of Nigeria’s democratic process.