Insisting that the apparent delay is procedural rather than political, the House of Representatives has rejected claims that the National Assembly is purposefully postponing the Electoral Act Amendment law. The House also expressed confidence that the law will be harmonised the following week.
Adebayo Balogun, the chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, stated that there is no intentional delay and that the measure is being worked on in both houses of the National Assembly.
“The bill is being considered by the Senate during its current session. The harmonisation should hopefully be finished by next week, Balogun, who represents Lagos State’s Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency, told Punch.
In order to prepare for the 2027 general elections, he continued, the law would be delivered to the President for assent when the House and Senate have finished harmonizing.
Once more, the Senate fails to complete the bill.
The Senate once again failed to complete 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.
In an executive session, lawmakers discussed the findings of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, which was chaired by Senator Simon Lalong, as well as suggestions from a seven-member ad hoc committee tasked with resolving controversial provisions in the bill for around four and a half hours.
However, no information regarding the talks or choices was revealed when plenary reconvened at approximately 5:35 p.m., putting the bill in limbo for the second consecutive sitting.
Following Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele’s proposal to dissolve the chamber into a Committee of the Whole for clause-by-clause scrutiny of the measure, the executive session got underway.
Senators decided to discuss the findings of the ad hoc committee, which was chaired by Senator Niyi Adegbonmire (Ondo Central), behind closed doors even though it was on the Order Paper for presentation.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio provided a hazy summary of the proceedings when they resumed.
Before asking senators to clarify whether the statement accurately represented the session, Akpabio stated, “The Senate deliberated on matters relating to the working of the Senate in particular and the nation in general.”
The issue was quickly resolved after lawmakers unanimously said “aye.”
Shortly after, Bamidele moved to postpone plenary till Wednesday, although he did not specify when the bill would return for final passage or whether it had reached third reading.
A Slow Pace Increases Fear Before the 2027 Elections
Concerns regarding Nigeria’s electoral system’s preparedness for the general elections in 2027 have been raised by the frequent delays. Many people believe 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, stricter 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.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP), and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) are among the major opposition parties that have criticized what they say is a lack of urgency in changing the Electoral Act.
They cautioned that more delays might damage the credibility of the 2027 polls and diminish public trust in the political process.
In the final quarter of 2025, the bill’s sluggish progress drew harsh public criticism. Before the House’s Christmas break, the bill was supposed to be considered, but it was dropped because MPs were not given enough copies.
Femi Falana, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, charged last week that the National Assembly is purposefully ignoring the bill, claiming that members 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 on an Arise News program.
“The purpose of this rigmarole is to give Nigerians the impression that the proposed Electoral Act is being addressed.”
Falana emphasized that lawmakers are prioritizing defections over significant election reform in an environment of “reckless impunity.”
The National Assembly’s leadership insists that delays are caused by legislative processes and the requirement for both chambers’ agreement before the law can be sent for presidential assent, despite growing opposition.
