Electoral Act: PLAC Warns Senate Against Ignoring Nigerians’ Voice

The Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) has urged the Senate to respect the views of Nigerians in the ongoing review of the Electoral Act, warning lawmakers against acting as “overlords” over matters of national interest.

The call was made on Thursday by Clement Nwankwo, Executive Director of PLAC, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

Nwankwo stated that a broad consensus on key electoral reforms, including real-time electronic transmission of election results, had already been achieved through joint National Assembly committees, public hearings, and zonal consultations.

However, he criticized the Senate’s use of closed executive sessions on a matter he described as “of grave national importance.”

“The Electoral Act is not the personal property of any individual. It belongs to all Nigerians. Transparency is non-negotiable,” Nwankwo said.

“You were elected to represent the people; you did not fight your way into that position. You must respect citizens’ views. Don’t act as overlords. There is nothing that makes you superior to the ordinary Nigerian. You were elected, and you are accountable to the people. When you ask people to vote you in, you must listen to them. That is what is painful to many of us — acting as if you are an overlord but not listening to the citizens,” he added.

PLAC’s warning comes amid growing debates over electronic transmission of election results, with civic groups and political stakeholders insisting that the process should be transparent, credible, and in clusive.