Akpabio: Nigeria’s Elections Have Improved Since PDP’s Exit from Power

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has stated that Nigeria’s electoral process has witnessed significant improvement since the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) left power at the federal level.

Akpabio, who previously served two terms as governor under the PDP before joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), made the remarks on Wednesday during the second reading of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill at the Senate plenary.

Reflecting on his years in politics, Akpabio noted that even lawmakers across party lines could attest to the progress made in the nation’s electoral system.

According to him, “Senator Abaribe and I have been involved in elections for almost twenty-five years. You’ll agree with me that since the PDP left power, Nigeria’s elections have improved tremendously.”

He recalled the widely criticized 2007 general elections, citing former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s public admission that the election which brought him to power was flawed.

“In 2007, after I emerged as governor, the then president, the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, openly admitted that the election that produced him was marred by irregularities and rigging. Since then, efforts have been made to close those loopholes,” Akpabio said.

While acknowledging that the electoral system is still not perfect, Akpabio pointed to the debates that followed the 2023 general elections — particularly the controversy over whether winning the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) alone could guarantee the presidency.

He added, “During the last election, we went all the way to the Supreme Court over arguments that winning the FCT automatically makes one president. Panels debated this endlessly on television, but in the end, the Supreme Court clarified the matter. Common sense should have shown that such was never the intention of the Electoral Act.”