Senate steps down electoral bill, plans executive session Thursday

The Senate has deferred consideration of the report on the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026, opting to first subject the proposed amendments to further internal scrutiny through an executive session on Thursday.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the decision during Wednesday’s plenary after the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), requested that senators be allowed to take home copies of the report prepared by the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters for a detailed clause-by-clause study.

Akpabio agreed with the request, stressing that the Senate must avoid rushing a legislation with far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s democratic process.

“This is a very important bill, considering the fact that we’re about to go into elections. If we rush it, we’ll meet at the tribunal. But if we do it right, then all Nigerians will smile that we have free and fair elections,” he said.

Daily Trust reports that debate on the general principles of the amendment bill had been listed on the Order Paper for consideration on Wednesday before it was later stepped down.

However, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau South), who was expected to present the committee’s report, was absent.

His absence led to a brief consultation among the Senate leadership, after which it was agreed that both the presentation and debate be deferred to the next legislative day.

Bamidele subsequently moved a motion to step down the bill until Thursday, explaining that a short closed-door session would precede public deliberation on the proposals. The motion was put to a voice vote and overwhelmingly adopted.

The Electoral Act amendment bill contains about 20 proposals aimed at reforming Nigeria’s electoral framework.

One of the major proposals seeks to make the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) non-compulsory for voting. Under the proposed amendments to Sections 18 and 47, other forms of identification, including the National Identification Number (NIN), international passport and birth certificate, could be used for voter accreditation, given that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) does not depend on the PVC microchip.

Another key proposal seeks to amend Section 60(5) to make electronic transmission of election results mandatory. Section 71(2) is also proposed to be amended to criminalise the distribution of unstamped or unsigned ballot papers and result sheets, with penalties of at least one year imprisonment, a fine of N1 million, or both, for any presiding or collation officer found culpable.

The bill further proposes an upward review of campaign spending limits across all elective offices. Presidential candidates would be allowed to spend up to N10 billion, up from N5 billion, while the cap for governorship candidates would rise from N1 billion to N3 billion.

Spending limits for senatorial candidates would increase from N100 million to N500 million, while House of Representatives candidates would move from N70 million to N250 million.

For state House of Assembly candidates, the ceiling would rise from N30 million to N100 million. Local government chairmanship candidates would also be permitted to spend up to N100 million, while councillorship candidates’ limit would increase from N5 million to N10 million.

Although the House of Representatives has already passed the bill, Akpabio reiterated the need for thorough Senate scrutiny, given its implications for the nation’s electoral process.

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