Ezekwesili said the clause undermines the collective will of voters, arguing that in a functioning democracy, elected officials must not place themselves above the electorate.

Posting on X, she warned that the provision creates a loophole that could be exploited to manipulate future elections, including the 2027 general polls.

Ezekwesili further accused the Senate leadership, under Senate President Godswill Akpabio of signalling to Nigerians that their votes may not count, a move she said could deepen public distrust in the electoral process.

She cautioned that Nigerians’ patience is wearing thin and urged lawmakers to reconsider their actions, stressing that transparency is essential to sustaining democracy.

According to her, it is unwise for elected officials to “play with fire” by undermining public confidence in elections.

She wrote: “That cock-eyed provision on Electoral Transmission that the @NGRSenate just passed is an insult on the collective intelligence of Nigerians.

“In a functioning democracy, the Elected can NEVER be greater than the Collective Will of those who elected them.

“Never. The Senate President and his collaborators are brazenly giving Nigerians a heads-up that our votes will not count because that vexing clause they passed is their loophole to RIG the 2027 elections.

“Again, kudos to the lawmakers @HouseNGR that boldly passed a Bill which legally mandates electronic transmission of polling units results in real time with this simple and HONEST text:

“Clause 60(3): “INEC shall electronically transmit election results from polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal in real time and such transmission shall be done simultaneously with the physical collation of results.

“We salute our members of the Nigerian House of Representatives for totally aligning with the Citizens’ quest for Electoral Transparency.

“The REAL-TIME question is whether the Akpabio-led Senate is ready for the Nigerians who have run out of patience with their shenanigans.

“The answer is in the hands of the Senators. It is not wise to play with fire. Transparency is always better.”