Photo: Senate President, Godswill Akpabio
By Deborah Nnamdi
The Senate on Tuesday passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026, following a heated plenary session marked by sharp disagreements over key provisions of the proposed legislation.
Tensions flared during clause-by-clause consideration of the bill when Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC, Abia South) demanded a division on Clause 60(3), which addresses the transmission of election results. The clause provides that in the event of failure in electronic transmission of results, Form EC8A may serve as a basis for manual transmission.
The session became rowdy after Senate President Godswill Akpabio stated that he believed Abaribe’s earlier demand had been withdrawn. Several opposition senators objected immediately, challenging the position.
Citing Order 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin argued that it would be out of order to revisit a provision on which the Senate President had already ruled. The submission triggered further uproar, with a brief face-off between Abaribe and Senator Sunday Karimi.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, who sponsored the motion for rescission of the earlier amendment, reminded lawmakers that previous decisions taken on the bill were no longer valid. He maintained that Abaribe’s demand for division was consistent with the motion to rescind.
Akpabio suggested that the call for division was an attempt by Abaribe to publicly demonstrate his stance. He subsequently sustained the point of order and directed Abaribe to formally move his motion.
Rising under Order 72(1), Abaribe called for a division on Clause 60(3), specifically seeking the removal of the proviso allowing manual transmission of results where electronic transmission fails.
During the voting process, Akpabio directed senators who supported retaining the proviso to stand, followed by those opposed. Fifteen opposition senators stood against the caveat, while 55 senators voted in support of retaining it.
Earlier in the day, proceedings were briefly stalled as lawmakers commenced detailed reconsideration of the bill after a motion to rescind its earlier passage was seconded. The Senate subsequently dissolved into the Committee of the Whole for fresh deliberations.
The rescission followed concerns over the timing of the 2027 general elections and technical inconsistencies in the legislation. Moving the motion under Order 52(6), Bamidele explained that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced February 2027 for the general elections after consultations with the National Assembly leadership.
He noted that stakeholders raised concerns that the proposed date could conflict with the requirement that elections be scheduled not later than 360 days before the expiration of tenure. According to him, strict application of the 360-day notice requirement in Clause 28 could result in the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections being held during the Ramadan period.
Bamidele warned that conducting elections during Ramadan might negatively impact voter turnout, logistics, stakeholder participation, and the overall credibility of the process.
The motion also cited discrepancies in the Long Title and several clauses of the bill, including issues affecting cross-referencing, serial numbering, and internal consistency.
After resolving the contentious provisions, the Senate proceeded to pass the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026.
