The Senate has moved to accelerate the passage of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, following criticism from Nigerians who accused the Red Chamber of deliberately stalling reforms ahead of the 2027 general election.
After a three-hour closed-door executive session on Wednesday, the Senate constituted a seven-man ad hoc committee to review the proposed amendments and harmonise contentious provisions. The panel was given 48 hours to complete its assignment, after which its report will be subjected to clause-by-clause consideration at plenary on Tuesday.
The amendment of the Electoral Act is regarded as crucial to preparations for the 2027 polls, especially as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to issue the presidential election notice next month—exactly one year before the election—as required by law.
Although the House of Representatives passed its version of the amendment in December, uncertainty remains over whether the Senate will conclude concurrence and harmonisation in time for a clean copy to be transmitted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent before the end of next month.
Members of the ad hoc committee are Senators Adamu Aliero, Aminu Tambuwal, Adams Oshiomhole, Danjuma Goje, Tony Nwoye and Titus Zam, with the Clerk to the Senate, Emmanuel Odo, serving as secretary.
The panel will work alongside the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters, chaired by Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, to re-examine grey areas in the bill. The original report was prepared by the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, led by Senator Simon Lalong.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the decision after lawmakers emerged from the executive session, explaining that further scrutiny was needed to reconcile differing views identified during deliberations. The report had earlier been scheduled for debate on Wednesday but was stepped down due to Senator Lalong’s absence at plenary.
Akpabio said the ad hoc committee would sit for 48 hours and submit its recommendations on the third legislative day, prompting the Senate to adjourn plenary until Tuesday.
A copy of the draft amendment shows that one of the key proposals is the mandatory electronic transmission of election results to the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IREV) immediately after vote counting at polling units.
A new Clause 3 on page 45 of the Electoral Act 2022 (Amendment) Bill provides that INEC shall transmit results electronically from polling units to IREV in real time, simultaneously with physical collation, as a measure to curb result manipulation and ballot box snatching.
Other major provisions in the Senate’s version include making it an offence for presiding officers to fail to sign and stamp ballot papers and announced results; replacing “smart card reader” with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS); and barring party agents, candidates or officials from accompanying visually impaired or incapacitated voters into voting cubicles.
The bill also proposes stiffer penalties for vote-buying and vote trading, increasing fines from N500,000 to N5 million, strengthening sanctions for the buying and selling of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), and introducing the National Identification Number (NIN) as a requirement for voter registration to curb illegal registrations.
Additional amendments seek to tighten rules on candidate qualification, withdrawal by sworn affidavit and submission of party lists; empower candidates, in consultation with their parties, to appoint polling agents; exclude political appointees from serving as voting delegates or aspirants in party primaries; and increase campaign spending limits while strengthening financial controls.
The House of Representatives’ version goes further by proposing a 10-year jail term or a N75 million fine for forging nomination papers or election result forms. It also includes provisions for deducting excess votes in cases of over-voting, prosecuting erring presiding officers, higher campaign finance ceilings, and a N50 million administrative fee for associations seeking registration as political parties.
As the Senate races against time, attention is now focused on whether both chambers of the National Assembly can resolve their differences and transmit a harmonised Electoral Act amendment to the President in time to effectively guide preparations for the 2027 general elections.
