- Says Opposition Leaders Are Spreading Misinformation
By Abiola Olawale
The Presidency has issued a blistering rebuttal to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), accusing the opposition of spreading “deliberate misinformation” regarding the recently signed Electoral Act 2026.
In a strongly-worded statement released on Friday, February 27, 2026, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, dismissed the opposition’s criticisms as a “needless tantrum” designed to mislead the public ahead of the 2027 general elections.
On Thursday, opposition parties faulted the new law, describing it as “obnoxious”, a threat to democracy and an alleged attempt to entrench a one-party state in Nigeria.
President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act amendment bill into law on February 18 after it was passed by the national assembly.
Key provisions in the law include the electronic transmission of election results with manual collation as a fallback where technology fails.
The law also provides that political parties nominate a candidate through direct primaries and consensus.
The ADC and NNPP rejected the new provisions, calling on the national assembly to repeal and re-enact the law.
Reacting, the Presidency dismissed these claims as “cheap shots,” pointing out that Nigeria remains a vibrant multi-party democracy with over a dozen active parties.
Onanuga further advised the opposition to focus on “introspection” and internal organization rather than blaming their electoral unpreparedness on legislative frameworks
“The opposition, particularly the ADC, has turned irresponsible political statements into an art form, all in a bid to attract cheap headlines and mislead the public,” the statement reads.
“The opposition should stop exaggerating the effects of the new Electoral Act. Their inability to organise and their tendency to blame others for their own disorganisation and unpreparedness are evident.
“Contrary to their deliberate misinformation designed to incite the populace, the new Electoral Act, signed by President Tinubu, is a significant improvement over the repealed law, closing loopholes the opposition leaders sought to exploit for manipulation.”
Onanuga alleged that the opposition parties are working with some civil society organisations to wage a campaign of disinformation against the legislature and the administration.
The presidential aide defended the new law, noting that it provides for real-time transmission of election results while retaining form EC8A as a backup in the event of network failure.
Onanuga said the opposition’s claim that the use of form EC8A creates a loophole for manipulation is illogical and ignores the realities of technological challenges in parts of the country.
“Any reasonable Nigerian understands that network glitches are a real issue,” he said.
