Wike slams Amaechi, others over ‘hypocrisy’ on e-voting in new Electoral Act

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has accused former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi and other opposition figures of double standards over the electronic transmission of election results in the recently signed 2026 Electoral Act.

Speaking during a media chat on Monday, Wike questioned why Amaechi and others are now opposing a provision they allegedly resisted when in power. The provision allows manual transmission of results where electronic transmission fails due to network issues.

“Remember under Buhari, the issue of electronic transmission came up. People like Rotimi Amaechi, they were in government, said ‘no, don’t sign, if you sign you lose election,’” Wike said. “And this is the same person now coming out to say there should be electronic transmission, but he refused simply because he felt his boss would be affected.”

Wike insisted that the new Electoral Act does not prohibit electronic transmission of results but aims to prevent disenfranchisement by allowing manual alternatives when electronic systems fail.

“Now we are here, they did not say there should not be electronic transmission. All they said is, in case, let us not disenfranchise people by not allowing their votes to be counted,” he added.

The FCT Minister also criticised indirect primaries, another contentious provision addressed in the Electoral Act. He argued that direct primaries introduced by the new law will curb the influence of wealthy party elites, including governors and ministers, who dominate party structures under the old system.

Wike described Nigerians as “professional complainants,” noting that the same critics previously condemned indirect primaries for concentrating power in the hands of moneyed individuals.

Last week, opposition parties including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) called on the National Assembly to amend what they described as “all obnoxious provisions” in the 2026 Electoral Act. They labelled some clauses “anti-democratic,” warning that they could weaken transparency and public confidence in elections.