• Super Admin
• 06 Mar, 2026

The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, on Friday said the newly signed Electoral Act approved by Bola Tinubu is not yet available to the public. Makinde made the remark during the Obafemi Awolowo Lecture 2026, held in Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State. "I haven't seen it. That is the reality," the governor said. The lecture, titled "Politics as Future-Making: Awolowo and Leadership as Theory of Action," was organised to mark the 117th posthumous birthday of the late nationalist leader, Obafemi Awolowo. Addressing the gathering, Makinde expressed concern that a law expected to guide the conduct of the next general elections had not been made easily accessible. "As a governor of a state in Nigeria, I've been asking, please give me the Electoral Act signed by Mr. President so that we will know which hymn book we're singing from," he said. "I haven't seen it. That is the reality. I haven't seen it." The new Electoral Act has been surrounded by controversy, with several opposition figures criticising aspects of the legislation. Recently, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other opposition leaders rejected the law passed by the National Assembly of Nigeria and signed by Tinubu. At a press briefing in Abuja titled "Urgent Call to Save Nigeria's Democracy," opposition leaders described some provisions of the amended law as "anti-democratic." Among those present were former Senate President David Mark, former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola, former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi. The leaders called for further amendments to the law. During his speech, Makinde turned to the senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, who was seated at the event, and jokingly requested a copy of the legislation. "Well, there's a senator of the Federal Republic here. If you have it, please, I would like to have it," he said. Responding to the governor's remarks while speaking with journalists, Daniel insisted that the law had already been gazetted and made available. "I can tell you, as a distinguished senator of the Federal Republic, that the Electoral Act has been gazetted," Daniel said. "Even if I stand here, on my phone I can give you the gazette of that Electoral Act. "I think that the governor didn't have, maybe, updated information. And I've promised him that I was going to send it to him." Earlier in his address, Makinde praised Awolowo for his contributions to Nigeria's educational, socio-economic and political development, particularly in the South-West. He also commended the late nationalist for advocating a multi-party democratic system. Makinde urged today's political leaders to emulate Awolowo by focusing on the future rather than short-term electoral gains. "Yes, I agree, true federalism is the way to go, but you need elite consensus. Yes, we all need to come together. We should stop thinking about the next election. "Let us think about the next generation," he said. In his remarks, Daniel said Awolowo strongly believed that political freedom without a clear structure could collapse under its own contradictions. "For him, the future could not be organised if it wasn't first imagined with a great sense of responsibility. He understood quite early that leadership must think in decades, not just in election cycles," the former governor said. He urged younger politicians and emerging leaders to engage deeply with Awolowo's ideas. Source: https://www.naijanews.com/2026/03/06/i-havent-seen-tinubus-new-electoral-act-makinde/