2027: ADC faults removal of certificate forgery provision from Electoral Act, alleges political motive

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Ladan Salihu, has alleged that the National Assembly deliberately removed provisions relating to certificate forgery from the Electoral Act as part of a wider political calculation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Salihu, who spoke on The Morning Show on Arise Television on Monday, argued that the amendment was aimed at shaping future electoral disputes and limiting the grounds upon which certain issues could be challenged in court.

According to him, the legislature has increasingly come under the influence of the executive arm, alleging that lawmakers now act largely in line with executive preferences rather than independent legislative judgment.

He maintained that deleting certificate forgery from the Electoral Act raises serious concerns, insisting that such a move could weaken accountability within the electoral process.

His words: “Everybody knows that what we have today is a National Assembly that is overpowered by the executive. They do the bidding of the executive and have become willing tools in a broader design to structurally capture power in 2027.

“Nothing justifies removing forgery-related issues from the Electoral Act. It raises questions because it appears intended to prevent such matters from resurfacing during election litigation.”

Salihu further suggested that the amendment could create legal gaps that may affect how future electoral petitions are handled by the judiciary.

However, reacting during the same programme, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Felix Morka, dismissed the allegation, insisting that forgery remains a criminal offence under Nigerian law regardless of provisions in the Electoral Act.

Morka explained that the Electoral Act cannot override the Constitution, stressing that certificate forgery and related offences remain punishable under extant legal provisions.

According to him, “The Electoral Act does not supersede the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Certificate forgery remains a criminal offence, and no amendment to the Electoral Act legalises forgery in any form.”

The development has added to growing political debate over recent electoral reforms as parties position ahead of the 2027 general elections.