“A Traitorous Blow”: PDP and Sowore Reject Electoral Act 2026, Citing “Manual Loopholes” and Party Sabotage

The ink is barely dry on President Bola Tinubu’s signature, but the Electoral Act 2026 is already facing a firestorm of rejection. On Wednesday night, February 18, 2026, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Omoyele Sowore (AAC) separately condemned the new law as a “calculated betrayal” designed to legalize electoral fraud under the guise of reform.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Signing a document

The “Manual” Loophole: Sowore Sounds the Alarm

While the government celebrates the legalization of IReV, AAC leader Omoyele Sowore has pointed to a “poison pill” in the legislation. The 2026 Act includes a clause allowing for manual tabulation if a network failure is detected at a polling unit—a provision Sowore claims will be weaponized to bypass electronic transparency.

“This law is designed to undermine and ultimately forbid free, fair, and credible elections. We must resist this assault on democracy… we must damn their impunity.” — Omoyele Sowore

PDP spokesman Ini Ememobong

PDP: “A Painful Betrayal of Trust”

PDP spokesman Ini Ememobong issued a blistering statement, describing the National Assembly’s “sudden somersault” on mandatory electronic transmission as an insult to Nigerian intelligence.

The PDP’s Core Grievances:

• Diluted Transparency: The party argues that allowing manual fallbacks creates a deliberate gap for result manipulation at collation centers.

• Intrusion into Party Autonomy: The law restricts party primaries to Direct or Consensus methods, which the PDP claims is an illegal intrusion into internal party affairs and “ultra vires” (beyond legal power).

• Call to Action: The PDP has officially called on Organized Labour and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to launch lawful protests against the “retrogressive” politicians masking as legislators.

AAC Leader and 2023 Presidential Candidate Omoyele SoworeOmoyele Sowore

The Democratic Standoff

With the presidency claiming the Act is a “milestone” and the opposition labeling it a “trap,” Nigeria’s democratic future is now a battleground. Critics argue that by making manual tabulation an option, the National Assembly has provided a legal “backdoor” for the same rigging tactics the BVAS was meant to eliminate.

Written by Boom RadioNG