By SCM REPORTER
FORMER Nigerian presidential candidate and World Bank VP, Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili, has launched a blistering attack on the Nigerian Senate, accusing lawmakers of “playing with fire” following a controversial vote on election transparency.
In a scathing public memo released today, the iron lady of Nigerian politics warned that the country’s elite are “protecting a predetermined outcome” by refusing to make the electronic transmission of election results mandatory.
The row erupted after Senators rejected a legal mandate that would force election officials to upload results in real-time. Instead, the Senate opted to keep the process “discretionary”—a move Ezekwesili brands as a “political sleight of hand.”
”Electronic transmission that is optional, discretionary, and unenforceable is no safeguard at all,” Ezekwesili fumed.
“No one is deceived. The Senators must never again insult the intelligence of Nigerians.”
The 2023 Nigerian elections were marred by technical glitches and a failure to upload results to the central viewing portal (IReV) in real-time, leading to widespread claims of fraud and a collapse in public trust.
The ‘Tinderbox’ Warning
Ezekwesili warned that the Senate is ignoring the lessons of the past at the nation’s peril. She noted that Nigeria only survived the 2023 fallout because citizens showed “restraint” despite deep frustration.
”If future elections are again disputed under the cover of discretionary loopholes, responsibility will be clear. It will lie with those who saw the danger… and chose to plunge Nigerians into it anyway.”
In an unprecedented demand, the founder of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) called for Senators to immediately cancel their newly announced two-week emergency break.
She demanded they return to the “Red Chamber” for a live broadcast session to pass a simple, one-sentence law: The presiding officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit in real time.
“It is not wise to play with fire,” she warned. “Transparency is always better.”
The Senate has yet to respond to the ultimatum, but with the public mood soured, the pressure on the “Red Chamber” is reaching a boiling point.
