Senate Reopens Electoral Act, House Rescinds Decision, Aligns with Upper Chambers on Transmission of Results

• Senate clears pathway for INEC to shift 2027 elections 

•Reduces 360-day notice to 300 days to avert Ramadan, Lent clash 

•55-15 division retains manual collation proviso amid e-transmission row 

•Opposition lawmakers stage walkout  

•Civil society storms National Assembly, seeks mandatory real-time result transmission 

•House frowns on alleged use of teargas on protesters

Michael Olugbode, Adedayo Akinwale and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

In a dramatic twist of events, Senate yesterday reopened the contentious Electoral Act amendment process, withdrawing a bill it had passed barely a week ago, and moving to shift the 2027 general election from February to avoid a collision with Ramadan and the Christian Lenten season.

Just as the House rescind its earlier position on mandatory electronic transmission to conform with Senate position.

What began as a procedural motion quickly turned into a charged confrontation over faith, technology, and the mechanics of democracy, culminating in a rare division of the chamber and a 55–15 vote that split lawmakers over the future of electronic transmission of results.

Presiding over the high-stakes session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio invoked the chamber’s Standing Orders to rescind the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2026, which had been hurriedly passed during an emergency sitting last week.

The reversal followed fresh consultations with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) after it released its 2027 election timetable.

INEC had fixed the presidential and National Assembly elections for February 2027, in compliance with the 360-day statutory notice requirement contained in Clause 28 of the amended law.

But the proposed window sparked anxiety across religious communities, with projections showing a likely overlap with Ramadan and part of Lent.

Moving the motion, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the upper chamber was compelled to act in the interest of inclusiveness and broad participation.

Bamidele said, “The primary reason for convening today is to further amend the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act so that INEC can review its timetable in line with the concerns raised.

“Time is already running, and without legislative intervention, it would be impossible for the commission to adjust the schedule.”

He warned that conducting elections during intense periods of fasting and devotion could depress voter turnout, complicate logistics, overstretch security agencies, and erode public confidence in the process.

Beyond the faith-calendar concerns, Bamidele disclosed that a technical review had uncovered drafting inconsistencies across several clauses of the bill, including errors in cross-referencing and serial numbering.

A harmonisation committee of leaders from both chambers, conference committee members, and legal experts had identified gaps requiring urgent correction.

Chairman of Senate Committee on INEC and Electoral Matters, Simon Lalong, who seconded the motion, rejected insinuations that INEC deliberately fixed a date to clash with Ramadan.

Lalong stated that the commission had unveiled a long-term election cycle as far back as 2019, projecting polls up to 2031.

Following debate, Senate unanimously adopted two motions, first, to rescind its earlier passage of the bill, and, second, to recommit the bill to Committee of the Whole for fresh clause-by-clause consideration.

Inside the Committee of the Whole, lawmakers repealed the earlier version in its entirety and commenced a painstaking reconsideration.

The most consequential amendment came in Clause 28, where the notice period for elections was reduced from 360 days to 300 days.

The adjustment created legal room for INEC to revise the 2027 timetable without breaching statutory limits, effectively clearing the path for a shift away from the sensitive religious window.

But the chamber’s calm dissolved when senators arrived at Section 60(3), dealing with electronic transmission of election results.

At issue was a proviso permitting presiding officers to rely on manually completed Form EC8A for collation where internet connectivity failed to allow immediate upload to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

Critics feared the clause could weaken the integrity of electronic transmission, supporters argued it was a practical safeguard against technical failures in remote areas.

Rising on a point of order, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe demanded a formal division.

“Any senator may challenge the opinion of the president by claiming a division. So, I am calling for a division,” Abaribe declared, triggering audible gasps across the chamber.

Akpabio upheld the request. In a scene rarely witnessed in recent years, senators were ordered to physically indicate their positions.

One aisle at a time, lawmakers stood to be counted by the Sergeant-at-Arms as chants of “no proviso” reverberated.

Among those opposing the proviso were Senators Abdul Ningi, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Aminu Tambuwal, Victor Umeh, Seriake Dickson, Peter Jiya, and Tony Nwoye.

When the tally was completed, Akpabio announced the verdict: 55 senators voted to retain the proviso; 15 opposed it.

“The proviso stays,” he ruled, drawing applause from the majority benches.

With the contentious clause settled, Senate concluded clause-by-clause consideration, passed the bill for third reading, and reconvened briefly to adopt the votes and proceedings.

In his closing remarks, Akpabio struck a conciliatory tone, praising both the majority and minority for demonstrating democratic courage.

He commended those who voted against the proviso “for answering your father’s name”, saying their minority stance proves democracy is alive.

At the same time, he lauded supporters of the clause for safeguarding the electoral process from endless reruns by preserving Form EC8A as the primary mode of collation, while institutionalising electronic transmission through IReV.

Describing the portal as a “major innovation since 1960”, Akpabio said it would enable observers, local and international, to monitor polling unit results in real time across Nigeria’s more than 176,000 polling units.

The amended bill is now expected to be transmitted to the House of Representatives for concurrence, after which INEC could formally review and potentially adjust the 2027 election timetable.

Opposition Lawmakers Stage Walkout as House Rescinds Decision on e-Transmission, Aligns with Senate

Opposition lawmakers, yesterday, staged a walkout following the decision by House of Representatives to rescind its decision on mandatory transmission of results in conformity with the decision of Senate.

The green chamber had voted for real-time and mandatory electronic transmission of election results during the electoral amendment.

However, Senate had recently held an emergency plenary, where it passed its version of the electoral law amendment bill, but refused to mandate e-transmission, opting instead for a controversial amendment that leaves the process to the discretion of INEC.

But in a stunning turn, the House, at the emergency plenary made a U-turn when Speaker, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, asked that a motion be moved for the House to rescind its decision in order to debate the contentious part of the electoral bill.

It was at that point that the House was forced into a closed-door session, which began about 11:36am and ended at 1:21pm.

After the resumption of the plenary, Hon. Francis Waive moved a motion for the House to rescind its decision on e-transmission and was supported by Hon. Adebayo Balogun, who chaired the House Committee on Electoral Matters.

However, Hon. Adamu Ogene moved a point of order that the members were not given copies of the bill.

But Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ben Kalu, who presided over the amendment of the bill, said the electronic ver-sion was on their tablets, and also pleaded with them to share with others who already had copies.

The chamber soon became rowdy when Kalu was not calling the clauses of the bill serially, which led to uproar in the chamber.

Unmoved by the uproar, Kalu continued by calling Clause 1-20, 20-40, and so on, of amendment bill while continuously hitting the gavel.

Displeased with the show of shame, some members stood up and started chanting “Clause by Clause”, while some chanted “carry”, and yet another group was calling on Abbas to take over.

When normalcy returned, Kalu started calling the clause by clause consideration of the bill again, and when he got to the contentious Clause 60, which deals with mandatory electronic transmission of results, some lawmakers were in favour, while others were against it.

To restore normalcy, Kalu asked for the House to be divided by directing members, who were in support of mandatory transmission of results to stay on one side, while those against should stay on the other side of the chamber.

Most APC lawmakers voted in favour of the bill while the opposition lawmakers voted against. At this point, some members started chanting “APC ole”, meaning “APC is a thief”.

But Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda supported a motion moved by Hon. Bamidele Salam that they should remove the proviso in Clause 60(3), which stat-ed that INEC should revert to manual where electronic transmission failed.

When put to vote, All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers voted against it.

On his part, Hon. Benedict Etaghene moved a motion that where there were discrepancies between IRev and form EC8A, that of IReV should be reckoned.

Expectedly, it was also voted against by the APC lawmakers, who were in majority.

Addressing journalists after staging a walkout, Hon. Kingsely Chinda said their position remained that election results should be transmitted electronically. He said they were against any proviso that would give room for mutilation of results and rigging.

He added that the provisions that they proposed were turned down by the APC lawmakers, not on the basis of patriotism, but because of party affiliation.

The opposition lawmakers vehemently kicked against Clause 84 of the bill.

Clause 84(1) says, “Political party seeking to nominate candidates for elections under this Bill shall hold primaries for aspirants to all elective positions which shall be monitored by the Commission.

“(2) The procedure for the nomination of candidates by political parties for the various elective positions shall be by direct primaries or consensus.”

Chinda maintained that nomination of candidates should be a party affair, saying political parties should be at liberty to adopt any mode of primary of their choice.

Hon. Ifeanyi Uzokwe wondered why the leadership of the House had to summon an emergency plenary having passed the bill initially.

According to him, “Did we have any reason to call for an emergency plenary today? We have agreed on something but they called us back because they’ve gone to Aso Rock.

“We have borrowed money three times to pay contractors, that money, three times, we have diverted it and contractors are dying.”

Hon. Alex Ikweche said Nigerians needed to stand up the same way people converged anytime they were having crusades, the same way people used to converge when they said they were having Islamic sitting.

Spokesperson of the House, Hon. Akin Rotimi, said though the House had previously set up a conference committee to deliberate with the senate, the leadership had to summon an emergency session in order to introduce a few amendments.

“The harmonisation committee met yesterday (Monday), we would had left the work for the harmonisation committee, but for few amendments introduced in the bill,” he stated.

Civil Society Storms National Assembly, Demands Mandatory Real-Time Result Transmission

Civil society groups, yesterday, intensified pressure on the National Assembly, staging a second day of protests demanding that the proposed Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026 enshrine mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the portal of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The demonstrations, spearheaded by ActionAid Nigeria, alongside other civic organisations, came amid concerns that the senate version of the bill dilut-ed provisions for e-transmission, in contrast to the House of Representatives’ version, which civil society groups endorsed.

Addressing the crowd, Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu, stressed that the demand was absolute.

Mamedu stated, “Real-time electronic transmission of results. Mandatory. Without any condition,” warning that manipulation often occurs at the transmission stage, undermining the credibility of elections.

He cited India as a global example, highlighting that even with nearly one billion registered voters and limited network coverage, the country successfully implements electronic voting and results transmission, a model Nigeria could emulate.

He urged citizens to hold senators and representatives accountable for not supporting the mandatory provision.

Convener of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy and Human Rights, Okere Nnamdi, described the protest as “people’s parliament” rallying behind the House version of the bill.

Nnamdi called on the harmonisation committee of both chambers to adopt the House proposal in full.

Nnamdi warned of legal challenges if the final version fell short, stating, “If anything less than the House of Representatives version is endorsed and signed into law, there will be over 1,000 public interest litigations challenging the 2026 electoral bill.”

CEO of TAF Africa, Jake Epelle, representing persons with disabilities, reinforced the argument, insisting that credible elections are impossible without real-time result transmission.

“No real-time transmission, no credible election. Enough is enough,” Epelle said, pledging continued civic action until the law guarantees electoral integrity.

House Condemns Tear-gasing of Protesters

House of Representatives expressed concern over the alleged use of tear gas on protesters, who assembled at the National Assembly yesterday to express their views on a number of topical national issues currently before the legislature.

Spokesman of the House, Hon. Akin Rotimi, in a statement, said the House recognised that the right to peaceful and lawful assembly was guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

He said this right remained a fundamental pillar of democratic governance and an essential mechanism through which citizens participated in the legislative process.

Rotimi stated, “While acknowledging the constitutional responsibility of security agencies to maintain law and order, as well as to safeguard lives and property within and around the National Assembly Complex, the House emphasises that such responsibilities must always be discharged with professionalism, restraint, and full respect for the fundamental rights of citizens.

“In light of the seriousness of the reports received, the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs will take up the matter with relevant authorities and cause a thorough review of the circumstances that led to the alleged incident.

“Where necessary, appropriate steps will be taken in line with the oversight mandate of the House to ensure accountability and to prevent any recurrence.”

The spokesman said the House remained firmly committed to being the people’s House not only in word but in action.

Rotimi noted: “Our doors remain open to Nigerians who choose to engage the Parliament peacefully and lawfully on matters of national importance.

“At the same time, we encourage all protesters to remain within the ambit of the law and to avoid any form of incitement, provocation, or conduct capable of escalating tensions.

“We must collectively strengthen the culture of civil protest in our democracy, ensuring that the exercise of rights is matched by a shared commitment to order, responsibility, and mutual respect.”

The House maintained that constructive civic engagement strengthens democracy, saying the Green Chamber would continue to promote an environment where citizens can express their views responsibly, safely, and within the bounds of the law.