"Nigerians are angry, and they have every right to be. What played out in the Senate over the Electoral Act amendment is neither a misunderstanding nor a technical error, but a direct assault on electoral integrity and public trust."

This was how the #FixPolitics initiative reacted to the Senate's reported rejection of the bill on electronic transmission of election results before it passed the long-awaited constitution review.

In a statement by the Executive Director, #FixPolitics Africa, Anthony Ubani, at the weekend, the group demanded the restoration of mandatory electronic transmission of results as a non-negotiable pillar of electoral integrity.

It asserted that the Senate delivered confusion, contradiction and contempt for the popular will at a moment Nigerians demanded clarity, transparency and reform of the electoral process.

The group added: "A bill touching the very foundation of our democracy was passed under a cloud of dispute, with senators openly alleging that the version announced as 'passed' is not the version they voted for. This is grave, dangerous and unacceptable in any democracy that takes itself seriously. The outrage is deeper because this is not an isolated incident.

"Only recently, Nigerians were shaken by allegations that a tax law passed by the National Assembly was altered after passage. Till today, that matter remains poorly explained. Now, once again, we are confronted with a National Assembly that cannot convincingly tell citizens what law it passed, how it was passed, and whose interests it truly serves."

According to the respected thought leader, with over 25 years of leadership experience driving change across Africa, when laws can be altered after voting, the rule of law collapses.

"When lawmakers themselves dispute the content of laws, citizens lose faith. When trust is broken repeatedly, democracy becomes hollow.

"Let us say this plainly: there is no rule of law without trust, and there is no trust without integrity in lawmaking."

#FixPolitics Africa argued that the refusal to make electronic transmission of results mandatory, despite years of citizen advocacy and the painful lessons of recent elections, shows a Senate disconnected from the realities of electoral fraud and the urgent demand for reform.

"Nigerians did not ask for loopholes; they asked for certainty. They did not ask for discretion; they asked for safeguards. Instead, they got ambiguity by design. Even more alarming is the sheer institutional failure on display.

"Nigeria spends billions of naira every year to maintain just 109 senators for legislation, oversight and representation. Yet, on one of the most consequential laws in our democracy, the Senate appears unable to perform the most basic task: pass a clear, credible and uncontested law in the public interest," lamented the international development practitioner.

For the group, this is not just incompetence; it is deliberate mischief and an abuse of public trust.

"At a time of economic hardship, insecurity and democratic anxiety, Nigerians are watching a legislature that seems more invested in protecting political advantage than protecting the vote. This is how democracies erode, not in one dramatic moment, but through repeated acts of disregard for citizens," it stated.

#FixPolitics therefore demanded, “without ambiguity, the immediate public clarification of the exact provisions passed, with the full and final text made available to Nigerians; a transparent legislative review process to resolve all discrepancies and allegations of alteration; as well as public accountability from Senate leadership for the contradictions and failures that have brought the institution into disrepute.”

"Nigeria's democracy cannot survive on half-truths and broken processes. Our elections cannot inspire confidence if lawmakers themselves sow doubt. And our patience as citizens is not limitless.

"The Senate would also do well to remember our own history. Each time Nigeria's democratic experiment has been cut short, it is the legislature that is the first and most completely shut down. Lawmakers lose their seats, their powers and their relevance overnight.

"It is, therefore, not only a civic duty but an act of enlightened self-interest for the National Assembly to stand in the vanguard of protecting electoral integrity and preserving democracy. Those who benefit most from democracy should be the first to defend it, clearly, consistently and without compromise.

"The Senate must choose either to stand with the people or stand exposed before history. Nigeria deserves laws that protect the vote, not weaken it. It deserves lawmakers who respect the will of the people. Anything less is a complete abdication of responsibility and a brazen betrayal of public trust," the group stated.

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