President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday night justified his presidential assent, which transformed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2025 into law.

Addressing the gathering of leaders of political parties under the platform of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) at the State House, President Tinubu said his action was guided by the need to promote the sanctity of the ballot and strengthen internal democracy within political parties.

National Chairman of IPAC, Yusuf M. Dantalle, led his colleagues to Ifar( breaking of fast) with President Tinubu.

Checks revealed that IPAC had last week threatened boycott of the 2027 general elections except the Electoral Act 2026 was amended with some of its provisions removed.

But foreclosing the demand of IPAC, Tinubu noted that the Bill was passed by overwhelming majority of both chambers of the National Assembly.

He said: “I’m glad I heard you as IPAC chairman. Like I stated, we are all democrats.

“The Rule of Law must prevail in any democracy. Yes, Rule of Law. Majority will have their say and their way, and minority will have their say and might not have their way. That is the sweetness, the essence of democracy. “Argue it, debate it intellectually, interrogate each other, honestly and sincerely, but we are committed to the same thing, peace and stability of the country, and we adhere to it.

“I’m a registered voter. I’m on the same platform with you, or not, I’m going to stick to my platform. When it was against me years past, I toed the line. I was in opposition without a threat to any human being, except military junta. I want democracy, and since democracy started, there’s a fundamental voluntariness that is enshrined in this and I am extremely glad to listen to you, but there’s little that I can do.

“We subscribe to the same thing, the same period, we are guided by the same law. No difference.

“That I signed the Electoral Act, I have no choice. I don’t want to throw the country into turmoil of argument… there is an overwhelming majority by the National Assembly that passed the law. If I have serious question or reservation about it, I would have raised it. But I have none, I submitted myself to the principle of Rule of Law, democracy. I signed, the rest is history. We’ll meet at the polls.

“The game is sweet only when you are winning. It’s alright we must accommodate one another, we must help one another. We must strengthen the platform.”

Earlier in his remarks, National Chairman of IPAC has restated the Forum strong reservations against certain provisions of the Electoral Act.

He said: “Your Excellency, I will mention a few of those things, I won’t mention all Your Excellency, sir. One is the mandatory inclusion of identification number. It’s a welcome development your excellency that will ensure it, will enable the parties to know the loyal members of that party. But the only problem we have is the time frame.

“We see it as too close that it will be difficult for parties to meet up before the election. Yes, we agree that the election timetable was reviewed because of complaint from some quarters. But as a father of the nation, Your Excellency, sir, there’s still a lot you can do about it. It will disenfranchise a lot of people. It’s an appeal. We are your children?

“Secondly, your Excellency, sir, to the issue of nomination of candidates, the removal of indirect mode of primaries. Your Excellency, some of us, our parties do not have the money that your party have.

“So the logistics that it will take to go around the country to have direct primary, it will be difficult.

“You can look into it. We are not saying, I don’t want to say much, it is an appeal your excellency.”

The IPAC Chairman also requested for return of subvention to political parties to make them survive. (Tribune)