ABUJA, Nigeria—Nyesom Wike on Monday accused former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi of persuading ex-President Muhammadu Buhari not to approve electronic transmission of election results while in office, amid ongoing debate over the amended Electoral Act 2026, March 2, 2026. The Federal Capital Territory minister alleged that Amaechi and others opposed the measure at the time out of fear it would cost them elections.

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Wike made the remarks during a media chat in Abuja, accusing opposition leaders of double standards over their current demand for compulsory electronic transmission of results in the amended 2026 Electoral Act.

“Remember under Buhari, the issue of electronic transmission came up. People like Rotimi Amaechi, who was in government, said, “No, don’t sign; if you sign, you lose the election,” Wike said.

“And this is the same person now who is coming out in the public to say there should be electronic transmission, but he refused simply because he felt his boss would be affected,” he added.

Wike, a former Rivers State governor, maintained that the new law does not prohibit electronic transmission but provides for manual transmission where electronic systems fail, to prevent voter disenfranchisement.

“Now we are here, they did not say there should not be electronic transmission. All they said is in case, and which is likely, let us not disenfranchise people by not allowing their votes to be counted,” he said.

Last week, opposition parties and leaders addressed a joint news conference rejecting the Electoral Act 2026, recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.