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Former National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Chief Peter Ameh, has issued a scathing condemnation of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s proposed amendments to Nigeria’s electoral laws, describing them as a dangerous ploy to institutionalize manipulation and undermine the democratic will of the Nigerian people.

In a strongly worded statement released on Tuesday, Chief Ameh particularly faulted the controversial Section 65 of the proposed amendments, which he says exposes “the deep rot in Nigeria’s electoral system.” According to him, the provision is both unnecessary and a calculated attempt to concentrate power at INEC’s national headquarters to tamper with election outcomes.

“If INEC officials maintain neutrality and refrain from tampering with results declared at polling units, there would be no need for such draconian laws,” Chief Ameh stated. “Section 65 reeks of a flawed system, revealing INEC’s failure to uphold transparency and accountability.”

Chief Ameh insisted that the priority for INEC should not be on controversial legislative changes but on enforcing immediate and mandatory electronic upload of election results directly from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). According to him, this is the only credible way to protect the sanctity of the ballot and ensure that the people’s mandate is not compromised.

“The only path to ensuring that every vote counts and the people’s mandate is protected is by making the immediate upload of polling unit results mandatory on the IReV portal,” he stressed.

In addition to his criticism of Section 65, Chief Ameh took issue with what he described as INEC’s silence on the escalating cost of conducting elections in Nigeria. He called on the electoral commission to initiate urgent reforms that would allow all elections to be conducted on a single day.

“This will curb voter fatigue, eliminate apathy, and restore confidence in our democracy,” he argued. “The commission’s current trajectory only deepens public distrust and erodes the integrity of our electoral process.”

Chief Ameh urged INEC to abandon what he called “deceptive reforms” and instead focus on building a free, fair, credible, and transparent electoral system that reflects the true will of Nigerians.

“Nigerians deserve an electoral process that reflects their will, not one manipulated by a select few,” he said. “I urge all Nigerians to reject this and not stand idly by while our democracy is hijacked.”

The former IPAC chairman concluded by calling for mass public vigilance, warning that unless citizens speak out, Nigeria’s democracy risks being subverted by regulatory actions that only serve the interest of a political minority.

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