Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Straregy Bayo Onanuga on Thursday accused opposition parties of “reckless” and “spurious” attacks on the government over recent amendments to the Electoral Act.
In a statement, Onanuga dismissed complaints from figures led by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), who gathered in Abuja for a press conference earlier on Thursday.
The opposition had alleged the changes created loopholes for electoral manipulation and ignored public wishes.
Presidential spokesman Onanuga described the critics’ tactics as an “irresponsible” bid for headlines, waged alongside some civil society groups to spread disinformation against the National Assembly and the APC-led administration.
He defended the amendments, enacted to address “realities” like network failures during elections.
NewsQuest reports that key changes in the electoral law include provisions for real-time transmission of results, with Form EC8A as a backup if networks fail.
“The opposition’s claim that Form EC8A creates a loophole for manipulation is illogical and a needless tantrum,” Onanuga wrote, adding that the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) is merely for public viewing, not collation—Form EC8 remains the primary validation source.
The statement also hit back at opposition rejection of direct primaries and consensus voting for candidate selection, calling it “perplexing” given their past preference for the “corrupt delegate system.”
Onanuga praised the National Assembly for “restoring party ownership to its members,” likening it to practices in the US presidential system Nigeria emulates.
He rejected claims that lawmakers ignored Nigerians, noting two years of consultations with stakeholders, experts, and millions of citizens concerned about technical failures potentially invalidating elections.
The Special Adviaer further rubbished allegations that President Tinubu seeks a one-party state, calling Nigeria a “vibrant multiparty democracy” with over a dozen parties.
He urged the opposition to focus on introspection rather than “constant lamentation,” portraying the new act—signed by Tinubu—as an improvement that closes manipulation loopholes.
The presidential aide recalled Tinubu’s own history as an opposition leader who helped end PDP dominance in 2015.
