The Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has alleged that the Electoral Act has been drastically altered from its original form.
Kingibe made this statement on Monday during an interview on Television.
The lawmaker, who served on the Electoral Reforms Committee, said many provisions in the current Act differ from what was initially agreed upon.
According to her, “What was eventually presented was not part of the original document. I even told someone I could provide the version we worked on.
“In all the elections we’ve conducted, INEC ballot papers have always had security features. There has never been a situation where just any kind of ballot paper could be used for voting.
“So when it was mentioned to me, I said I didn’t see that section—it couldn’t have been there.
“I was part of the electoral reforms committee. We spent two years developing a document that was widely accepted, involving both chambers of the National Assembly.
“It wasn’t just the Senate; members of the House of Representatives, INEC, and civil society organisations all participated. We produced a document we believed would ensure free and fair elections—but by the time it was presented, every part of it had been completely altered.”