The Arewa Consultative Forum has reacted to President Bola Tinubu’s swift assent to the controversial 2026 Electoral Bill, describing the move as a necessary step ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking to The PUNCH online in Kaduna, ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Tukur Muhammad-Baba, noted that while the President’s assent appeared hurried, the legislation addresses time-bound electoral processes that could not be delayed.
“The Electoral Bill as assented to by the President, as hurried as it may seem, deals with processes of the electoral system which are time-bound,” Muhammad-Baba said. “Given that we are just about a year to the 2027 General Elections, the time to put the law in place is a critical, even non-negotiable step.”
The ACF spokesman highlighted concerns over public access to the full text of the law. “The general public, including the ACF, has to date only snippets of the Bill. Outside of the contentious issue that emerged recently, that is, provisions regarding the mode of transmission of election results, we would like to see the contents of the full Bill, warts and all,” he said.
Muhammad-Baba stressed that until the complete document is made available, stakeholders would have to rely on currently available information. He also addressed claims that certain provisions in bills passed by the National Assembly were sometimes altered before presidential assent, urging lawmakers to ensure that the final versions faithfully reflect legislative decisions.
“Given the obvious desperation of political actors, absolutely nothing should be left to chance or taken for granted. The destiny of the country is at stake, and all citizens must stay alert,” he added.
