Former Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo has accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of “setting Nigeria on fire” amid controversy over the electronic transmission of election results, following the Senate’s passage of an electoral amendment bill that omitted a mandatory e-transmission clause.
Appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today program on Monday, Adebayo criticized Akpabio for allegedly yielding to external pressures and undermining electoral transparency. “The Senate President, receiving text messages from saboteurs, decided to set the country on fire over a minimum requirement that the elections should be seen by the public to be transparent,” Adebayo said.
The remarks come in the wake of widespread outrage after the Senate last week approved the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Reenactment) Amendment Bill 2026 through its third reading. Lawmakers rejected a proposed amendment to Clause 60, Subsection 3, which would have required the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to electronically transmit results from polling units.
Adebayo, a prominent SDP chieftain, also highlighted broader issues plaguing Nigeria’s electoral system, including unchecked campaign financing, excessive spending, and vote-buying. He urged senators to address these concerns and act as true representatives of the people.
“The way to salvage the situation is for Godswill Akpabio to remember his humble beginnings, to know that he is a nobody in Nigeria,” Adebayo added. “He is only a somebody today because of the will of the people of Akwa Ibom who made him governor and also sent him to the National Assembly. He is not here to come and lecture us. He is not wiser than the next person. Where he is supposed to show leadership, he wants to make himself a mercenary to undermine democracy. The solution is for him to go back and repent.”
The Senate is set to convene an emergency plenary session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at noon, as announced by Senate Clerk Emmanuel Odo on the instructions of Senate President Akpabio. The urgent sitting follows mounting public and political pressure on the chamber to reconsider Clause 60(3) of the bill, which pertains to the electronic transmission of results.
The controversy has sparked debates on electoral reforms ahead of future polls, with advocates arguing that mandatory e-transmission is essential for reducing fraud and enhancing credibility in Nigeria’s democratic processes.
