Bishops Fault N’Assembly Over Electoral Act
Bishops Fault N’ Assembly Over Electoral Act
The President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, has criticized the National Assembly over the newly amended Electoral Act, accusing federal lawmakers of inconsistency in their use of technology.
Speaking at the opening of the 2026 First Plenary Meeting of Catholic bishops in Abuja, Ugorji said the legislature appears eager to deploy digital systems for revenue collection but reluctant to apply the same tools to protect electoral credibility.
Last week, President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act 2026 (Amendment) into law, shortly after it was passed by the National Assembly. The amendment followed public protests and renewed calls for real-time electronic transmission of election results.
Ugorji argued that the government’s digital ambition should not stop at taxation. He pointed to the 2025 Tax Act, which took effect on January 1, 2026, mandating electronic filing and record-keeping to strengthen compliance. If technology can safeguard public revenue, he said, it should also secure what he described as the nation’s democratic mandate.
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The cleric warned that weakening provisions for electronic transmission could erode public confidence in elections. He noted that voter turnout has steadily declined, citing the 23 per cent participation rate recorded in the 2023 general election as a troubling sign for democratic legitimacy.
According to him, restoring trust requires making real-time transmission of results from BVAS to the IReV portal a clear legal obligation. Anything less, he suggested, leaves room for doubt and manipulation.
Ugorji also extended his criticism to the country’s security architecture. He questioned why criminals who openly display ransom demands online are rarely tracked through digital footprints. He described the current approach as reactive rather than preventive.
Referencing recent killings in parts of the country, including the Woro and Nuku communities, he decried what he called a failure of timely intervention. He raised concerns about the reintegration of repentant insurgents, warning that such policies risk sending the wrong message.
Looking ahead to the 2027 elections, the archbishop urged Nigerians to choose leaders committed to service and accountability. He said both the global community and history are watching how the country navigates its democratic journey.
Content Credit: Amosun Azeez
Image Credit:Google.com
