Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has sharply criticised the Senate over its handling of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026, warning lawmakers against actions she said could further inflame public frustration and undermine Nigeria’s democracy.
Ezekwesili spoke on Friday during an interview on Arise Television’s The Morning Show, two days after the Senate passed the Electoral Bill 2026 following hours of debate.
The upper chamber, however, rejected a proposal seeking to make real-time electronic transmission of election results mandatory, while approving changes to election timelines, penalties for electoral offences and the use of voting technology.
Reacting to the development, Ezekwesili accused the political class, particularly the Senate, of repeatedly taking decisions that alienate Nigerians.
“Stop playing with fire. It’s almost as if the political class, especially as exemplified by the Senate, just wakes up every morning and says, ‘What shall we do today to upset Nigerians?’” she said.
She argued that citizens were justified in expressing anger over what she described as the excesses and poor judgment of lawmakers.
“Now, anyone who at all supports the idea that it is okay for citizens to not be very annoyed at the excesses and the sheer lack of even wisdom on the part of our senators — I don’t know where that person is reading from,” the ex-minister stated.
While stressing that no one should incite violence, the former minister said Nigerians must continue to exercise their civic rights and remain vigilant in defending democratic values.
“Nobody wants anybody to be incited, but it is entirely necessary for citizens to know that they are acting within their right when they exercise what Thomas Jefferson, one of the legendary presidents of the United States, said — that eternal vigilance is the price that citizens pay for freedom, for liberty,” she said.
Ezekwesili further warned that lawmakers must not treat Nigeria as their personal domain.
“These senators cannot run Nigeria as though it were their fiefdom. Nigerian democracy belongs to the people, it doesn’t belong to the politicians,” she added.
The Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill has continued to attract public attention, particularly over the decision to reject provisions mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results.
Several civil society groups and political commentators have argued that electronic transmission is critical to strengthening transparency and restoring public confidence in elections, especially after the controversies that followed the 2023 general elections.
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