Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on information and strategy, has accused the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) of spreading misinformation about the Electoral Act, 2026.
On Thursday, opposition parties faulted the new law, describing it as “obnoxious”, a threat to democracy and an alleged attempt to entrench a one-party state in Nigeria.
Tinubu signed the Electoral Act amendment bill into law on February 18 after it was passed by the national assembly.
Key provisions in the law include the electronic transmission of election results with manual collation as a fallback where technology fails.
The law also provides that political parties nominate a candidate through direct primaries and consensus.
The ADC and NNPP rejected the new provisions, calling on the national assembly to repeal and re-enact the law.
In a statement, Onanuga asked the ADC and NNPP to desist from “constant lamentation and unwarranted outrage” against the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government.
“The opposition, particularly the ADC, has turned irresponsible political statements into an art form, all in a bid to attract cheap headlines and mislead the public,” the statement reads.
“The opposition should stop exaggerating the effects of the new Electoral Act. Their inability to organise and their tendency to blame others for their own disorganisation and unpreparedness are evident.
“Contrary to their deliberate misinformation designed to incite the populace, the new Electoral Act, signed by President Tinubu, is a significant improvement over the repealed law, closing loopholes the opposition leaders sought to exploit for manipulation.”
Onanuga alleged that the opposition parties are working with some civil society organisations to wage a campaign of disinformation against the legislature and the administration.
The presidential aide defended the new law, noting that it provides for real-time transmission of election results while retaining form EC8A as a backup in the event of network failure.
Onanuga said the opposition’s claim that the use of form EC8A creates a loophole for manipulation is illogical and ignores the realities of technological challenges in parts of the country.
“Any reasonable Nigerian understands that network glitches are a real issue,” he said.
Onanuga also addressed concerns raised about the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) results viewing portal (IReV), stating that it is not a collation centre but a platform for uploading results for public viewing.
He added that form EC8 remains the primary source for validating election results.
Onanuga criticised the opposition’s rejection of direct primaries for selecting party candidates, describing their stance as “perplexing”.
He argued that direct primaries and consensus voting are more democratic than the delegate system previously used by many parties.
Onanuga said lawmakers consulted widely over two years, engaging stakeholders, technical experts and citizens who raised concerns about the risk of technical failures that could undermine elections.
The presidential spokesman also rejected allegations that Tinubu is plotting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
“In summary, the opposition is merely crying foul because the rules of the game have been adjusted to prevent manipulation, such as result hacking, which they have allegedly perfected,” he said.
Onanuga said Nigeria remains home to more than a dozen registered political parties, including the ADC and NNPP, adding that the opposition’s challenges stem from internal disorganisation rather than any attempt by the government to stifle dissent.
