The Senate will on Tuesday resume deliberation on the controversial Electoral Act amendment bill, amid mounting public outrage and pressure over delays that critics say could jeopardise the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
The PUNCH gathered that the upper chamber plans to conclude work on the bill and transmit it this week, following the inauguration of a seven-member ad hoc committee mandated to harmonise senators’ positions and resolve outstanding issues in the proposed legislation.
The committee was constituted last Thursday after a three-hour closed-door executive session during which lawmakers subjected the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill to further scrutiny.
The committee, which had three days to conclude the assignment, is expected to submit a report today (Tuesday).
Announcing the decision, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said the panel was established to synthesise lawmakers’ views and address concerns raised during plenary debates.
The committee is chaired by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Niyi Adegbonmire, with Adamu Aliero, Aminu Tambuwal, Adams Oshiomhole, Danjuma Goje, Tony Nwoye and Titus Zam as members.
Akpabio said the committee was given a maximum of three days to complete its assignment and submit its report by Tuesday to allow the Senate resume consideration of the bill.
Although the House of Representatives had already passed the bill, Akpabio stressed the need for due diligence before the Senate’s concurrence.
“This is a very important bill, especially as it is election time. We must take our time to ensure justice is done to all, so that we do not end up at the tribunal,” he said.
According to the report of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, a clause-by-clause review showed that the proposed amendments would strengthen electoral integrity, enhance transparency and boost public confidence in the electoral system.
The committee, therefore, recommended the passage of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2025, as amended, noting that the reforms would expand voter participation, curb electoral malpractice and strengthen the institutional capacity of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Earlier, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele outlined key provisions of the bill, describing it as a major step toward improving electoral credibility and safeguarding institutional independence.
He said the bill introduces stiffer sanctions for electoral offences such as vote-buying, including fines of up to N5m, a two-year jail term and a 10-year ban from contesting elections.
The proposed law also prescribes tougher penalties for result falsification and obstruction of election officials, introduces electronically generated voter identification — including a downloadable voter card with a unique QR code — and mandates the electronic transmission of polling unit results.
Bamidele added that the bill recognises the voting rights of inmates, mandates INEC to register eligible prisoners, standardises delegates for indirect party primaries and requires the release of election funds at least one year before polling day.
He said the reforms were aimed at guaranteeing credible, transparent and secure elections beginning with the 2027 general polls, subject to approval by at least two-thirds of state Houses of Assembly, in line with constitutional provisions.
The renewed push by the Senate comes amid sustained criticism from legal experts, opposition parties and civil society groups over what they describe as unnecessary delays in amending the Electoral Act.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, had last week slammed the National Assembly for repeatedly postponing passage of the amendment bill, warning that the delays could undermine the credibility of the 2027 elections.
Speaking on Arise News on Sunday, Falana criticised the Senate’s decision to set up another committee to review a bill already passed by the House of Representatives in December 2025.
“Clearly, from the conduct of both chambers of the National Assembly, it is very clear that the members simply want the status quo retained.
“This rigmarole is meant to give the impression to Nigerians that the proposed Electoral Act is being addressed,” Falana said.
He argued that the bill contains critical reforms, including electronic transmission of results, tougher penalties for vote-buying, voting rights for inmates and sanctions against financially induced delegates, which address long-standing gaps in Nigeria’s electoral framework.
“We operate in an atmosphere of reckless impunity. The only politically important issue today is the gale of defections in Nigeria, yet the National Assembly focuses on time-wasting amendments,” he said.
Falana also recalled that key reforms such as the establishment of an electoral offences commission, recommended as far back as 2008, were yet to be implemented.
“Last election, we were subjected to a national disgrace when three leading presidential candidates claimed to have won. That election petition lasted 10 months. Why should it take two years to put these provisions in law?” he asked.
In a similar vein, major opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress, Labour Party and New Nigeria People’s Party, have raised concerns over what they described as a lack of urgency by the National Assembly in amending the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 polls.
The parties warned that further delays could erode public confidence in the electoral process and threaten the credibility of the elections.
The Senate, however, insists that the newly constituted ad hoc committee will fast-track the process, as lawmakers intensify efforts to conclude work on the bill in the coming days.
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