The Senate on Tuesday again failed to conclude work on the long‑awaited Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, retreating into a four‑and‑a‑half‑hour closed‑door session that ended without a decision on the proposed reforms.
Lawmakers went into an executive session shortly after 1:05 p.m. for clause‑by‑clause consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Senator Simon Lalong, and submissions from a seven‑member ad hoc committee set up last week to resolve contentious provisions. Plenary resumed at about 5:35 p.m., but senators disclosed no details of the deliberations.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio gave only a brief, non‑specific account on resumption. “At the executive session, the Senate deliberated on matters relating to the working of the Senate in particular and the nation in general,” he said, after which the chamber confirmed the statement and moved on. The Senate adjourned until Wednesday on a motion moved by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, without indicating whether the bill reached third reading or when it would return for final passage.
The repeated delay has heightened uncertainty over amendments widely seen as crucial to strengthening Nigeria’s electoral framework ahead of the 2027 general elections. The proposed changes seek to address loopholes observed in recent polls, curb malpractice and restore public confidence in the electoral process.
Key recommendations before the Senate include:
• Mandatory real‑time electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal;
• Harsher penalties for electoral offences such as result manipulation and ballot‑box snatching;
• A new sub‑clause to criminalise the failure of presiding officers to sign and stamp ballot papers and officially announced results;
• Replacing references to the “smart card reader” with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System in Sections 47(2) and (3);
• Amendments to Section 54(1) to prohibit political party agents, candidates or their officials from accompanying visually impaired or incapacitated voters into voting cubicles.
The ad hoc committee, inaugurated last Thursday after a separate three‑hour closed executive session, is chaired by Senator Niyi Adegbonmire (Ondo Central). Its members are Senators Adamu Aliero, Aminu Tambuwal, Adams Oshiomhole, Danjuma Goje, Tony Nwoye and Titus Zam. The panel was tasked with harmonising senators’ positions and addressing outstanding issues in the bill.
Major opposition parties — including the African Democratic Congress, Labour Party and New Nigeria Peoples Party — have criticised what they describe as a lack of urgency by the National Assembly. They warned that further delays could erode public confidence and undermine the credibility of the 2027 elections.
The Senate, however, says the ad hoc committee will fast‑track the process and lawmakers are intensifying efforts to conclude work on the bill in the coming days.
