Mr Utomi, the 2007 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), gave the advice at a news conference organised by the Movement for Credible Elections (MCE) in Lagos on Sunday.

He called for the immediate return of the Electoral Act 2026 to the National Assembly for a transparent and inclusive review reflecting Nigerians’ aspirations.

Mr Utomi said controversies surrounding the act must be resolved before the general elections to encourage wider participation.

He also stressed the need to gazette the Act immediately after review and assent to ensure public access.

Mr Utomi asked, “How can political parties and the electorate comply with laws that no one can categorically say they have seen in their final, official form?”

He criticised shortened timelines, noting that candidate submission deadlines had been reduced to 120 days.

Mr Utomi said the reduction of INEC’s funding lead-time from 12 months to six months would create challenges for election preparations.

He said some provisions in the act dismantled judicial safeguards that historically protected the integrity of Nigeria’s elections.

Mr Utomi said, “Section 138 now restricts election petitions to two grounds: corruption or non-compliance with the Act, and whether the winner secured a majority of lawful votes.”

He said offences such as certificate forgery, age falsification, and perjury had been removed as grounds for election petitions.

Mr Utomi added, “These offences go to the heart of a candidate’s fitness for public office but have been expunged as grounds to question elections.”