2027: Fix Dangerous Loophole Now, Atiku Demands Urgent Amendment Of Electoral Act
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has issued a stern warning over what he described as a grave and dangerous ambiguity in Nigeria’s Electoral Act, calling on the National Assembly to act immediately safeguard the sanctity of the ballot. In a statement signed Wednesday in Abuja, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, the Waziri Adamawa raised alarm over Section 63 of the Act, particularly the provision that allows a ballot paper without an official mark to be counted at the discretion of a returning officer. “This is not a minor technical issue—it is a direct threat to electoral integrity,” Atiku declared. He warned that any legal provision that permits discretion in determining the validity of ballot papers creates a loophole that could be exploited to compromise the will of the people. “A democracy cannot survive on ambiguity. A ballot must either meet the standard or it does not. The moment you leave such a critical decision to subjec...