The Senate on Wednesday called for the transfer of the burden of proof in election petitions from aggrieved candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission. This body conducts and supervises elections.
The proposal formed a key part of deliberations as lawmakers debated the general principles of a bill seeking to repeal the 2022 Electoral Act and enact a new Electoral Act 2025.
The move, they argued, would make the electoral process more credible, transparent, and accountable. But the Senate’s fresh proposal sharply divided opposition parties, with the Peoples Democratic Party warning that the move could undermine democracy.
The proposal, which formed part of the deliberations on the new Electoral Act 2025 Bill debated on Wednesday, seeks to make the electoral umpire — as the organiser and regulator of elections — primarily responsible for defending the integrity of the polls it conducts.
Lawmakers backing the proposal, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Seriake Dickson, argued that INEC should “bear the burden of proving that elections were free, fair, and credible,” describing it as a long-overdue reform to strengthen democracy ahead of the 2027 polls.
The lawmakers also believed that, if signed into law, it would mark a turning point in the bid to reform Nigeria’s electoral framework ahead of the 2027 general elections.
