The House of Representatives has dismissed claims that the National Assembly is intentionally stalling the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, insisting that the legislation is likely to be harmonised next week.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun, said the delay is procedural rather than political and confirmed that both chambers are actively working on the bill. Once harmonisation between the Senate and House is complete, the bill will be transmitted to the President for assent, in readiness for the 2027 general election.
Meanwhile, the Senate again failed to conclude work on the bill after an extended closed-door session lasting over four hours. Senators reviewed submissions from a seven-member ad hoc committee, tasked with resolving contentious clauses, but no details were disclosed after plenary resumed.
The proposed amendments aim to strengthen electoral integrity, including:
- Mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results to INEC’s portal
- Tougher penalties for electoral offences such as ballot box snatching and result manipulation
- Replacing “smart card reader” references with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System
- Safeguards for vulnerable voters, including visually impaired citizens
The ad hoc Senate committee is chaired by Senator Niyi Adegbonmire and includes Senators Adamu Aliero, Aminu Tambuwal, Adams Oshiomhole, Danjuma Goje, Tony Nwoye, and Titus Zam.
Opposition parties, including the Labour Party, ADC, and NNPP, have criticised the slow pace, warning that further delays could erode public confidence ahead of the 2027 elections. The Senate maintains that the ad hoc committee will fast-track the bill in the coming days.
