The Electoral Act Amendment Bill is allegedly being purposefully delayed by the National Assembly, but the House of Representatives has denied this, stating that the slowing is procedural rather than political and that they are certain the bill will be harmonised next week.
According to Adebayo Balogun, the chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, there is no intentional delay in the bill’s progress, which is being worked on in both houses of the National Assembly.
“The Senate is now debating the bill. In the Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency of Lagos State, Balogun told Punch, “I hope the harmonisation will be finished by next week.”
He continued by saying that the law will be delivered to the President for assent in preparation for the 2027 general elections once the House and Senate have finished harmonizing.
Senate Cannot Finish Bill Again
The Senate once again failed to finish work on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill on Tuesday, retreating into a protracted closed-door session that ended without a clear outcome regarding the planned revisions, despite assurances of progress.
The report of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, which was chaired by Senator Simon Lalong, and the opinions of a seven-member ad hoc committee tasked with addressing controversial provisions in the bill were discussed by lawmakers for around four and a half hours during an executive session.
However, the bill remained in limbo for the second consecutive sitting when plenary reconvened at around 5:35 p.m. with no information on the debates or outcomes revealed.
Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leader, moved for the chamber to dissolve into a Committee of the Whole for clause-by-clause scrutiny of the measure, which opened the executive session.
Senators decided to discuss the findings of the ad hoc committee, which was chaired by Senator Niyi Adegbonmire (Ondo Central), behind closed doors despite it being on the Order Paper for presentation.
When the Senate reconvened, Senate President Godswill Akpabio provided a hazy summary of what had happened.
After stating that the Senate discussed issues pertaining to the Senate’s operations in particular and the country as a whole during the executive session, Akpabio asked senators to verify that the statement accurately represented the session.
Lawmakers unanimously said “aye,” and the issue was quickly resolved.
Shortly after, Bamidele moved to postpone plenary till Wednesday. He did not specify whether the bill had reached third reading or when it would be brought back for final passage.
Polls in 2027 Cause Anxiety Due to Slow Pace
Concerns regarding Nigeria’s electoral system’s preparedness for the general elections in 2027 have been raised by the recurrent delays. Most people agree that the election Act Amendment Bill is essential to enhancing public trust, preventing election fraud, and preserving electoral integrity.
Mandatory real-time electronic transmission of polling unit results, harsher penalties for electoral offenses like result manipulation and ballot-box snatching, substituting the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System for references to the “smart card reader,” safeguarding vulnerable voters, including those with visual impairments, from interference, and making it illegal for presiding officers to refuse to sign and stamp electoral materials are some of the major proposals that are currently before the Senate.
Major opposition parties have criticized what they say is a lack of urgency in changing the Electoral Act, including the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), the Labour Party (LP), and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The credibility of the 2027 polls and public trust in the democratic process could be damaged by more delays, they cautioned.
The delayed progress of the bill in the final quarter of 2025 drew harsh criticism from the public. Before the House’s Christmas break, the bill was originally scheduled for consideration, but it was withdrawn because MPs were not given enough copies.
Accusing the National Assembly of purposefully ignoring the bill last week, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Femi Falana claimed that lawmakers would rather keep things as they are.
“Clearly, from the conduct of both chambers of the National Assembly, it is very clear that the members simply want the status quo retained,” Falana stated during an Arise News broadcast.
The goal of this rigmarole is to make Nigerians believe that the proposed Electoral Act is being discussed.
Falana emphasized that in an environment of “reckless impunity,” lawmakers are prioritizing defections over substantive election change.
The National Assembly’s leadership insists that delays are caused by legislative processes and the requirement for both chambers to agree before the law can be sent for presidential assent, despite growing opposition.
