Wike defends 2026 Electoral Act, insists manual option prevents disenfranchisement
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has accused former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, and other opposition figures of double standards over the debate on electronic transmission of election results.
Wike spoke during a media chat on Monday while reacting to the opposition’s rejection of the 2026 Electoral Act signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The opposition had faulted a provision in the law allowing manual transmission of results where electronic transmission fails due to poor network coverage.
The minister alleged that Amaechi had previously persuaded former President Muhammadu Buhari not to approve electronic transmission of results while in office.
He questioned why the former minister is now advocating electronic transmission, despite allegedly opposing it in the past.
Wike maintained that the new law does not prohibit electronic transmission but includes a safeguard to prevent voters from being disenfranchised if technology fails.
He also defended the provision mandating political parties to adopt direct primaries, arguing that indirect primaries allow wealthy politicians to dominate party structures.
The minister further described Nigerians as “professional complainants,” noting that many had previously criticised indirect primaries for concentrating power in the hands of party elites and moneyed interests.
