The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the claim that the National Assembly rejected mandatory electronic transmission of election results, made by a former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, as false and misleading.

In a statement on Saturday by its spokesman, Seye Oladejo, the APC described Mr Obi’s public commentary as a hastily amplified judgement and sensational commentary, which ignored the facts of the matter.

Mr Obi, on Thursday, condemned Senate’s rejection of mandatory electronic transmission of election results as a grave setback to Nigeria’s democracy and “an unforgivable act of electoral manipulation.”

Faulting what it described as Mr Obi’s act of rushing to the media on political matters without facts, the APC described such an action as “unpresidential, unstatesmanlike and unstable” qualities for a person intending to lead the country.

“The Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken note of recent clarifications by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, which reaffirm the long-standing position of the Senate in supporting the use of technology, including electronic transmission of election results, in line with the Electoral Act and subject to the operational capacity of INEC,” the party stated.

“These clarifications categorically debunk the false and misleading narrative that the Senate rejected electronic transmission of results-a claim hastily amplified by Mr. Peter Obi without due regard for the facts,” it said.

Debunking Mr Obi’s claim, the Lagos APC party spokesman explained that the Senate, at no point, opposed electronic transmission of results.

He stated that the Senate instead acted responsibly by ensuring that technology deployment during elections aligned with the electoral commission’s technical readiness.

Mr Oladejo stated, “Contrary to Mr. Obi’s claims, the Senate did not at any point oppose electronic transmission of results. Rather, it acted responsibly by strengthening the legal framework to ensure that technology deployment in elections is credible, secure, and aligned with INEC’s technical readiness.”

“To misrepresent this measured legislative position as “rejection” is either a profound misunderstanding of legislative procedure or a deliberate distortion for political mileage,” he said.

Expressing worry over what it called “desperate and relentless attempt to discredit the electoral process,” the Lagos APC accused Mr Obi of seeking to fuel mistrust, division and national instability.

“At this point, any discerning observer is entitled to ask Mr. Obi and his ilks a fundamental question: why the desperate and relentless attempt to discredit the electoral process, unnecessarily heat up the polity, and undermine confidence in Nigeria’s democracy?” the statement said.

“Such conduct is neither accidental nor harmless. It fuels mistrust, stokes division, and places personal political ambition above national stability. Fortunately, Nigerians are far more perceptive than these actors assume and can clearly read through the mischief,” it added.

Mr Oladejo noted that Mr Obi displayed a consistent pattern of making bad comments on complex legislative, economic and policy matters, which either lacks facts or disproved by official records and authorities.

“His selective use of statistics and half-truths, frequently stripped of context, has further eroded confidence in his public interventions and reinforced the perception of narrative-driven, rather than fact-driven engagement,” the party spokesman stated.

The APC denounced the former presidential aspirant’s “habit of portraying Nigeria in an unrelentingly negative light, particularly on international platforms,” noting that such an action “undermines investor confidence, damages national morale, and raises serious questions” about his patriotism.

Emphasising that truth, accuracy, restraint and responsibility were pillars that uphold democracy, the APC said political opposition continued to falter because of careless misrepresentation of facts and untamed compulsive urge to disparage the country.

“Nigeria deserves leadership anchored in diligence, emotional intelligence, and genuine patriotism. Once again, the facts have spoken – and once again, Peter Obi got it wrong,” Mr Oladejo stated.