SDP’s Prince Adebayo warns Akpabio, others against ‘setting Nigeria on fire’ with alleged sabotage of e-transmission of election results
By Ishaya Ibrahim
A former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prince Adewole Adebayo, has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio and others of sabotaging democracy in Nigeria, warning that their actions could “set the country on fire.”
In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Adebayo expressed disappointment over the ongoing debate on electronic transmission of election results in the proposed Electoral Act amendment.
He accused national leaders of failing to uphold the national pledge’s commitments to faithfulness, loyalty, honesty, and defending Nigeria’s unity and honour.
Adebayo argued that the country has already resolved major historical challenges—gaining independence from foreign rule, ending military dictatorship, and rejecting election violence—yet now faces sabotage on a basic transparency measure.
He described it as regrettable that, after broad consensus among major stakeholders—including INEC, professional bodies, political parties, civil society organisations, and committees in both the House and Senate—the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, appeared to override the provision for real-time electronic transmission of results.
According to Adebayo, Akpabio, influenced by “text messages from saboteurs,” decided to block mandatory real-time transmission. He warned that such a move could “set the country on fire” over what he called a minimum requirement for public transparency in elections.
Using a football analogy, Adebayo likened the decision to a team insisting on playing without VAR (video assistant referee) to avoid scrutiny in disputes.
He lamented spending his youth fighting military rule only to now battle what he termed “electoral bandits masquerading as legislators” in adulthood.
Adebayo referenced President Bola Tinubu’s past pro-democracy activism alongside late President Muhammadu Buhari, asking if this was their intent—to “asphyxiate democracy” through one act of stubborn sabotage in the Electoral Act amendment process.
Adebayo’s remarks come amid widespread criticism of the Senate’s decision during the February 4, 2026, passage of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026. The chamber rejected a clause mandating real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units to INEC’s IReV portal, opting instead to retain the permissive electronic transmission provision from the 2022 Act.
Senate President Akpabio has defended the move, insisting electronic transmission remains allowed but not compulsory in real time, citing concerns over network failures in insecure areas.
The controversy has prompted an emergency Senate plenary scheduled for Tuesday, February 10.
