Mr Wahab Shittu, a lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has said that the Electoral Act 2026, as amended, will be put to the test in the forthcoming 2027 general elections to determine whether it is actually a law on paper or a law in action, News.ng reports.
Shittu, who said this in an interview on Arise Television on Saturday morning, commended the provisions of the Act but noted that its effectiveness will depend on the courage of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the judiciary, and the people.
He said, “The focus, erroneously, is that it will manifest or the retest will be the 2027 election.” No. You recall that the Electoral Act of 2026 came into force in February.
“It was signed into law this year. And so, this is the retest. Not just the rehearsal for the future.
“This is the time we will see whether, indeed, the Electoral Act of 2026 means what it says in terms of whether the law will just be a paper tiger or it will be enforced. Anybody will tell you who has studied the Electoral Act closely, as I have done, incidentally, it was a subject of conversation. They recently concluded a conference, which was concluded yesterday.
“Whether the Electoral Act of 2026 is capable of delivering on political stability. That’s the thrust of the discussion. And this is the retest.
“Now the Electoral Act of 2026, all agreed, is a very good law. It’s very comprehensive. The provisions are detailed.
“But it will require more than a trinity of institutional courage. A trinity of institutional courage for it to be effective in practice. INEC must be prepared to enforce its provisions. The courts too must play their parts. And then the voters. Everybody must play their part.”
The senior lawyer further emphasised that the Electoral Act 2026, which was amended and signed into law this year, would require the vigilance of Nigerians to make it work.
He called on relevant stakeholders, including voters and security agencies, to work in harmony to ensure that the Act works in forthcoming elections and future exercises.
“The law itself cannot enforce itself. So, it will require Nigerians to be vigilant, to be determined, to make it work. And this is the retest.
“The first retest here, after this one, election in August, we’ll be talking about election. So, this is the litmus test of the practicability of the Electoral Act 2026 to deliver on its assignment. I believe that Nigerians will use this opportunity.
“The people, the voters, will use this opportunity. All players, including the security agencies, will use this opportunity of this election to really work the talk. So that Nigerians can take benefit of a credible poll.
“Free, fair, and kind of peaceful poll that will reflect the will of the Ekiti people. The security agencies must be neutral. I mean neutral, really neutral in ensuring that.
“And then the voters too must not sell their conscience. As much as possible, we don’t want to see incidents of vote buying. There are about six concerns that are highlighted,” he added.
Watch the clip:
