By Obinna Uballa
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has berated opposition parties for what it described as “orchestrated hysteria” over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the amended Electoral Act 2026, urging critics not to distort facts for political gain.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos, the Lagos State APC Spokesman, Mr Seye Oladejo, said the reaction of opposition elements to the President’s action was disappointing and misleading.
“The Lagos State Chapter of the APC has watched with undisguised disappointment the orchestrated hysteria by sections of the opposition over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the Electoral Act 2026,” Oladejo said.
He stressed that governance goes beyond emotion and social media activism. “Let it be stated without equivocation: governance is not a popularity contest, nor is it a theatre for digital propaganda. It is a serious constitutional duty carried out in the best interest of the Nigerian people,” he added.
Oladejo dismissed claims by the opposition regarding real-time transmission models adopted in other countries, describing such comparisons as misleading. According to him, experiences in some democracies where similar systems were tested exposed technological glitches, legal ambiguities, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and even judicial reversals.
“Across several democracies where similar systems were experimented with, technological glitches, legal ambiguities, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and judicial reversals exposed the dangers of elevating political convenience above systemic integrity. Yet, our opposition continues to market half-truths as gospel,” he said.
The APC spokesman also questioned what he termed the opposition’s assumption of “exclusive wisdom” on electoral reforms.
“What manner of democracy suggests that the opposition alone possesses superior wisdom? Since when did electoral reform become the exclusive intellectual property of those who have consistently demonstrated administrative inconsistency when entrusted with responsibility?” he queried.
He maintained that the President’s assent followed due constitutional procedure, legislative debate, and institutional consultation, describing the move as prudent rather than reactionary.
“President Tinubu’s assent reflects prudence, not panic. Reform must be thoughtful, sustainable, and legally defensible – not driven by social media pressure,” Oladejo said.
While acknowledging the importance of opposition in a democracy, he warned against what he called attempts to weaponise public sentiment.
“Opposition is vital in any democracy. But opposition must not descend into distortion. Governance transcends emotion. It demands maturity over melodrama, substance over spectacle, and nation over narrative,” he said.
