Nigerian Senate Passes Electoral Act Amendment Bill After Heated Debate

The Senate on Tuesday passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026 after a heated debate, particularly over Clause 60.

Tension rose shortly after plenary resumed when Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC, Abia South) called for a division on Clause 60, which addresses the electronic transmission of election results.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio responded that he believed the request had earlier been withdrawn, a claim that drew immediate objections from opposition lawmakers.

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, citing Order 52(6), argued that it would be improper to revisit an issue already ruled upon by the Senate President.

His comment triggered fresh arguments on the floor, including a brief face-off between Senator Sunday Karimi and Abaribe.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele reminded members that he had moved the motion to rescind the earlier amendment, meaning previous decisions on the bill were no longer binding.

He maintained that Abaribe’s request was therefore valid under the new motion.

Akpabio suggested that the call for division was simply a way for Abaribe to publicly state his position.

After upholding the point of order, he asked Abaribe to formally present his motion.

Invoking Order 72(1), Abaribe demanded a division on Clause 60(3).

The senator specifically opposed the provision allowing manual transmission of results if electronic transmission fails due to network issues.

He argued that Form EC8A should not become the only basis in such cases and pushed for the removal of the clause permitting manual result submission.

During voting, Akpabio asked senators who supported keeping the provision to stand, followed by those against it.

Fifteen opposition senators stood in opposition.

However, when the votes were counted, 55 senators supported retaining the proviso, while 15 voted against it.

Earlier, Senate proceedings had briefly stalled as lawmakers began reviewing the bill clause by clause after a motion was moved and seconded to rescind the earlier amendment.

This allowed the Senate to enter into a committee of the whole to reconsider the legislation in detail.

As Clause 60 came up for review, Abaribe raised his point of order, prompting murmurs across the chamber.

Lawmakers gathered in small groups and consulted with the Senate President before the session eventually moved behind closed doors.

KanyiDaily also reported that there was drama in the House of Representatives on Tuesday as opposition members opposed attempts to change parts of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, especially Clause 60, which deals with the electronic transmission of election results.