The Senate, yesterday, created a high-powered ad hoc committee to analyze problematic elements in the proposed modifications to the Electoral Act 2022, following concerns made by members during a session held behind closed doors.
Following a three-hour executive session in which senators thoroughly reviewed the findings of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Senator Simon Lalong, the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, made the announcement.
According to Akpabio, the ad hoc panel will collaborate closely with the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters, which is presided over by Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, in order to reconcile differing opinions and resolve any ambiguities that were discovered during discussions.
The head of the Electoral Matters Committee, Senator Lalong, a former governor of Plateau State, was not there, so the report that was supposed to be considered on Wednesday could not be accepted.
Akpabio ordered copies of the report to be distributed to senators at the end of Wednesday’s session so they could review it before the discussion.
However, the Senate President declared an executive session at the start of plenary yesterday, indicating a change in strategy as lawmakers chose to first discuss the delicate measures behind closed doors.
Speaking to senators following the return of plenary, Akpabio stated that the report would be subjected to additional review in order to address concerns brought up during the executive session before being presented for final deliberation.
He claims that the newly established ad hoc committee is required to meet for 48 hours and turn in its findings for plenary discussion on the third day.
Senators Adamu Aliero, Aminu Tambuwal, Adams Oshiomhole, Danjuma Goje, Tony Nwoye, and Titus Zam are among those on the panel. The committee’s secretary will be the Senate Clerk.
After that, Akpabio postponed the plenary till Tuesday of the next week.
In the meantime, Senator Pam Dachungyang of Plateau State officially defected from the Action Democratic Party (ADP) to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), marking yet another defection in the Senate.
Akpabio read Dachungyang’s letter of defection on the Senate floor, putting an end to weeks of conjecture on the lawmaker’s future in politics.
In the letter marked “Notice of Defection from the Action Democratic Party,” the senator said that the ADP’s protracted internal conflicts and irreconcilable divisions had made it difficult for him to carry out his duties as a lawmaker.
In the midst of significant political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election, the defection increased the APC’s numerical strength in the Red Chamber.
