The Nigerian Senate has appointed a 12-member conference committee to reconcile differences between its version of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and that of the House of Representatives.
The decision was announced on Tuesday during an emergency plenary session by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who emphasized the urgency of the process.
“After consultation with the leadership, we have moved the number from nine to 12. I will now read out the names of the conference committee members from the Senate,” Akpabio said.
The Senate members of the committee are:
- Senator Simon Bako Lalong – Chairman
- Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno – Member
- Senator Adamu Aliero – Member
- Senator Orji Uzor Kalu – Member
- Senator Abba Moro – Member
- Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong – Member
- Senator Aminu Iya Abbas – Member
- Senator Tokunbo Abiru – Member
- Senator Niyi Adegbonmire (SAN) – Member
- Senator Jibrin Isah – Member
- Senator Ipalibo Banigo – Member
- Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi – Member
Senator Akpabio urged the committee to treat the assignment as urgent, expressing optimism that the harmonization could be concluded swiftly.
“When you meet, recognise that this is a matter of urgency. If concluded within the next few days or a week, the President should be able to sign the amended Electoral Bill into law within February,” he said.
The outcome of the committee’s work will be transmitted promptly to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Tuesday’s plenary session was marked by intermittent rowdiness, particularly around a motion sponsored by Senator Tahir Monguno, who suggested the Senate reverse its approval of Clause 60(3) of the bill, which governs the electronic transmission of election results.
Senator Akpabio aligned with a proposal that electronic transmission remain the primary method, while manual submission using Form EC8A would only be allowed in cases of technical failure.
