Ireti Kingibe: Every Aspect of Electoral Amendment Bill was Turned Upside Down

Ireti Kingibe, senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says key provisions in the amended Electoral Act 2026 are different from what was worked on by the legislature.

She also alleged that the provision on ballot paper security in the Electoral Act deviate from the original document produced by the electoral reform committee.

During an appearance on ‘Prime Time’, an Arise Television programme, on Monday, the lawmaker said several aspects of the final Act were “turned upside down” and did not reflect the consensus reached during stakeholder engagements.

“They (final provisions) were not in the original ones. I spoke to somebody about it. I said, ‘I can show you the document I have’,” she said.

The lawmaker, who served on the senate committee on electoral reforms, raised the alarm over what she described as the absence or weakening of mandatory security features on INEC ballot papers, arguing that this represents a dangerous departure from longstanding electoral practice in Nigeria.

“Since when, in what election have we ever conducted where INEC ballot papers did not have security measures that you can bring any type of ballot paper and vote with it? It’s never happened,” she said.

Kingibe’s comments come amid ongoing public debate over Section 63 of the Electoral Act, which deals with the validation and counting of ballot papers.

Mike Igini, former INEC resident electoral commissioner (REC), had claimed that the provision gives presiding officers excessive discretion to accept ballots lacking official INEC marks or security features if they are “satisfied” with their origin.

However, a fact-check by TheCable established that the contested clause existed in substantially the same form in the Electoral Act 2022, which governed the 2023 general election.

The provision states that ballot papers without the official mark “shall not be counted” except where the presiding or returning officer is satisfied that the ballot came from the official book issued to the polling unit.

The 2026 amendment introduced only a minor wording change (“if” to “where”) but did not introduce a new loophole.

Though, Kingibe did not directly reference Section 63 or the 2026 amendment, she spoke on what she believes was a broader alteration of the reform package.

President Bola Tinubu signed the amended Electoral Act into law on February 18, 2026.