ADVERTISEMENT

By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has begun deliberations on a new Electoral Act intended to guide the conduct of the 2027 general elections.

Proceedings were tense and disorderly for much of the session, with lawmakers frequently attempting to speak at the same time and repeatedly raising points of order, creating a noisy and charged atmosphere on the floor of the House.

At the outset, members spent considerable time arguing over which sections of the bill should be examined and which should be set aside.

The deadlock was eventually resolved when the House agreed to focus on provisions recommended by the Committee on Electoral Matters.

One of the key decisions approved was that all pre-election disputes must be handled exclusively by the Federal High Court located in the state where the matter arises.

The chairman of the committee explained that the amendment is aimed at stopping the practice of transferring pre-election cases from their states of origin to the Federal Capital Territory or other states without proper jurisdiction.

However, sharp divisions emerged over a proposal seeking to disqualify any candidate found to have supplied false information regarding constitutional eligibility, along with the candidate’s political party. The provision sparked intense debate and strong opposition from several members, signalling further contention as deliberations continue.

Many of the lawmakers insisted that rather than disqualify the candidate and his party, and declaring the candidate with the next highest votes cast after the election as winner, INEC should be asked to conduct a fresh election excluding the candidate and his party.

Others insisted that the recommendations was apt as it makes it mandatory for the political parties to do due diligence before presenting any candidate for any election.

The also approved a jail term of five years for any returning officer who declare false results at an election and a ten year jail term for failing to record election results in a proscribed form, but went ahead to announce such result, while prescribing a two year jail term for a Resident Electoral Commissioners who fail to release Certified True Copies of election results.

The House however defered consideration of the report till Thursday for continuation.

ADVERTISEMENT

A faction of the Accord Party has elected Clement Bamigbola as its candidate for the Osun State August 8, 2026 governorship election.

Bamigbola was elected by voice vote by 300 delegates during the party’s primary on Sunday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital..

The Chairman of the Primary Electoral Committee, Olufemi Ogundare, declared Bamigbola the party’s candidate.

Ogundare and other party leaders subsequently presented the party’s flag to Bamigbola.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Governor Ademola Adeleke was elected as the Accord candidate on December 10.

Adeleke, who was the sole aspirant of the party, polled 145 votes out of 150 cast during the primary monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Osogbo.

The National Chairman of the Party, Maxwell Ngbudem, presented the party’s certificate of return to Adeleke as the flag bearer.

In his reaction, the Chairman of the Accord in Osun State, Victor Akande, in a statement, urged security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission to beware of the plot to disturb the public peace.

Akande alleged that the opposition parties were planning to sow the seeds of disunity, confusion, and chaos by organising an illegal, parallel primary election in the name of the party.

According to him: “The parallel primary is wrong, fraudulent and provocative.

“This defiant move is not aimed at Accord but is a clear danger to the peace and stability that is based on politics of deceit and impersonation.

“Accord is still a law‑abiding, democratic and peace‑loving political party recognised by the appropriate national leadership of the party and is valid.

“As such, any primary or aspirant who is outside of this arrangement is invalid, null and void.

“The people of the state have opted for peace, performance and meaningful leadership.”

Akande, however, said that nothing could impede the victory of the people at the altar of politics.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Chairman, Accord Party in Lagos State, Mr Dele Oladeji, says the party’s candidate, Gov. Ademola Adeleke, will deliver the best governance if elected in the Aug. 8, 2026 Osun Governorship Election.

Thenews reports that Adeleke emerged as the candidate of the party during its congress on Thursday in Osogbo.

Adeleke, who announced his defection to Accord Party on Tuesday, resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Dec. 2.

Oladeji, in a statement on Saturday in Osogbo, described Adeleke’s candidacy within the party as the “refining stage that forms the fine cut of a diamond.”

According to him, the fusion of Adeleke and Accord Party is the answer to the people’s prayer for a good leader.

“Gov. Ademola Adeleke, a confirmed socio‑economic welfarist on a pro‑people platform, will deliver the best governance that is unprecedented in the last two decades in Osun State.

“He will also set an enviable governance template for the country,” he said.

Also in the statement, Adeleke said he was challenging his opposition candidates to a campaign based on governance records.

Adeleke said his campaign would not be about promises, as is the norm in Nigeria’s political space, but about his three years of governance and a new level of social infrastructural development.

The governor also said he would leave a trail of major, monumental project inaugurations throughout his campaign.

“My governance in the past three years has earned me commendable monikers from the people of the state, such as “Mr Project”, “talk‑and‑do”, “the new Awo”, and “the man of the people”,” he said.

Adeleke reiterated his choice of Accord as his new party, which he described as a perfect alignment and synchronisation of his people‑centered policies with the party’s people‑focused ideology.

“It is the fission of two pro‑people entities, and the people of Osun State, as well as the democratic history of Osun State, will be the better for it,” the governor said.