Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has alleged that the delay of the National Assembly to pass the Electoral Act is a ploy to rig the 2027 elections.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate in the last election, argued that the major setback to the last election was the loopholes in the “Electoral Act 2022 that paved the way for the brazen rigging of that election”.

In a statement, on Thursday, Atiku stated that the same loopholes also made it near impossible for petitioners to advance their cases in the courts.

He accused the lawmakers of plans to frustrate the process.

Atiku said, “It is imperative that if the mistakes of the 2023 election are to be corrected, the legal instrument for the conduct of the 2027 and subsequent future elections needs to be reviewed.

“But as things stand, it has become obvious that the Senate is determined to frustrate the passage of amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act.”

He added that a recent report by FIJ serves as both an indictment of the Senate and a timely call for legislative responsibility, adding the “credibility of the 2027 general elections hinges on the urgency with which the Senate treats this crucial bill.”

According to him, “It is, therefore, imperative that the Senate finalises the amendments and ensures the updated law governs the conduct of the 2027 elections. Anything short of this is a deliberate attempt to rig the election long before the ballots are cast.”