Electoral Amendment Sparks Outcry: Mahdi Shehu Calls Senate’s Reversal a “Trap” for Nigerians

Political analyst Mahdi Shehu has raised alarm over what he describes as deliberate loopholes in the Senate’s recent electoral amendment, warning that Nigerians are being misled.

The emergency session on Tuesday saw the Senate reverse its earlier decision rejecting real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Results Viewing Portal (IReV). The new provision permits electronic transmission but states that if electronic submission fails, form EC8A will serve as the primary means of collating results.

Shehu criticized the amendment as a “next-level deception” riddled with multiple traps that could compromise election integrity.

He highlighted three major risks:

1. Manual Transmission Exploit: Should network failure occur, results would default to manual submission—a scenario Shehu warns could be easily manipulated.
2. Network Disruption Risk: Government-controlled communication and satellite agencies could be used to disrupt networks, forcing election officials to rely on manual collation.
3. Security Signatory Requirement: Election officials, including security personnel, must sign result sheets before electronic transmission. Shehu says this could be exploited if security officers withdraw prematurely, compelling INEC officials to revert to manual collation, creating another avenue for result manipulation.

Describing the Senate’s emergency amendment as an “insult to the collective intelligence of Nigerians,” Shehu urged citizens to remain vigilant.

“Nigerians, open your eyes well. You are being taken for a ride and for granted by dangerous smart alecs,” he warned.

Keywords: Nigerian Electoral Act Amendment, INEC IReV transmission, Mahdi Shehu warning, Nigerian elections 2026, manual result transmission, el