“Stop Playing With Fire” — Ezekwesili Blasts Senate Over Move to Block Real-Time Election Results

Former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, has launched a scathing attack on the Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives over their handling of amendments to the Electoral Act, accusing lawmakers of deliberately sabotaging electoral reforms and betraying public trust.

In a strongly worded public memo titled “Know When to Stop Playing with Fire,” shared on her X handle, Ezekwesili warned that the National Assembly was pushing the country toward another legitimacy crisis by refusing to make real-time electronic transmission of election results mandatory.

“The wisest and free advice that the Nigerian Senate as well as the House of Representatives can receive from well-meaning citizens is to know when to stop playing with fire,” she said.

Ezekwesili, a former World Bank vice president, described the lawmakers’ decision as a calculated attempt to preserve what she called a “discretionary loophole” in the electoral law. 

According to her, the refusal to mandate real-time uploads from polling units was neither accidental nor technical, but a deliberate move to retain ambiguity.

She rejected claims by the Senate that it did not oppose electronic transmission, insisting that lawmakers simply refused to make it compulsory.

“The Senate voted against making electronic transmission mandatory and then tried to deceive Nigerians by claiming it did not reject electronic transmission,” she said.

Ezekwesili explained that by retaining Section 60(5) of the Electoral Act 2022 — which allows results to be transmitted “in a manner as prescribed by the Commission” — the Senate effectively left the timing and method of transmission to the discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“That vague wording is the loophole,” she said. “It was deliberately retained, fully aware of the damage it caused in the past.”

She recalled that the same clause was at the heart of controversies that followed the 2023 general elections, when real-time electronic transmission was promised but not legally enforced.

“When it failed, Nigerians were told to accept procedural explanations instead of verifiable outcomes,” she said.

According to Ezekwesili, the ambiguity in the law opened the door for disputed court rulings that deepened national divisions, weakened public confidence and undermined the legitimacy of the democratic process.

“The same clause nearly pushed the country into turmoil,” she warned, stressing that repeating such legislative choices could trigger another crisis.

Ezekwesili also accused lawmakers of a broader pattern of conduct that prioritises personal and partisan interests over national development, listing alleged failures such as blocking anti-corruption reforms, approving bloated legislative budgets and confirming unfit nominees in exchange for political favours.

“Nigerians increasingly see the Senate as an ignoble and withering institution that delights in the deliberate betrayal of public trust,” she said.

She urged the National Assembly to reverse course and enact clear, enforceable provisions that guarantee transparent, real-time electronic transmission of election results.

“Nigeria’s democracy cannot survive on vague laws, discretionary loopholes and cosmetic reforms,” Ezekwesili said, warning that citizens are watching closely and will hold lawmakers accountable.

“Playing games with the electoral system is playing with fire.”

SOURCE : NaijaRush Assignment Desk