Senate Reforms Incoming: Akpabio Confirms Plan to Restore Statutory Delegates in Electoral Act

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has revealed that statutory delegates may be allowed to participate in political party primaries through an amendment to the 2022 Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections. Speaking at a meeting with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja, he stressed that their exclusion from these primaries was a mistake that needs to be rectified before the next election cycle.

During the meeting, Akpabio stated, “There were flaws in the last Electoral Act that need to be addressed. In the 2023 elections and the 2022 primaries, we inadvertently created what I might call ‘super-delegates.’ Without any deliberate intention by Parliament, statutory delegates—such as the president, vice president, governors, deputy governors, members of Parliament, and local council chairmen—were excluded from the primaries.”

He noted that this exclusion significantly reduced the number of participants in candidate selection, making the democratic process less inclusive. “Democracy is about numbers. When statutory delegates were omitted, it meant that unless one contested as an ad hoc delegate, they had no role in selecting party flag bearers for legislative, gubernatorial, and presidential elections. We need to fix this,” he explained.

Akpabio also mentioned that the National Assembly would re-evaluate the powers given to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the 2022 Electoral Act. “It seemed as if INEC became the final arbiter on candidate selection, rather than the political parties. We must ensure that parties retain the power to choose candidates who best represent their manifestos and possess the integrity and track record to deliver democratic benefits to the people,” he added.

In addition to electoral issues, Akpabio urged the NBA to take proactive measures to uphold professional ethics within the legal profession. He expressed concern over fraudulent individuals posing as lawyers without proper credentials, stating that some prominent figures in the field had never been officially called to the bar. “It is the duty of the NBA to weed out such quacks to protect the integrity of the profession,” he told the NBA delegation.

In response, NBA President Afam Osigwe (SAN) encouraged the National Assembly to utilize the ongoing constitutional amendment process to implement reforms in the justice sector. Osigwe also shared a personal experience from the early 1990s, recalling how he exposed an impostor at the Igbosere Magistrate Court in Lagos. He revealed that the individual, whom he recognized as a History graduate from the University of Calabar, was falsely practicing as a lawyer.