President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the amended Electoral Act into law within February, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has announced.
Akpabio made the disclosure on Tuesday during an emergency plenary session in which a 12-member committee was constituted to harmonise the Senate’s version of the bill with that of the House of Representatives. The move comes amid public backlash over some controversial amendments to the Act.
“I believe that if you are able to conclude within the next few days or one week, the President should be able to sign this amended Electoral Bill into an Act of Parliament within this month of February,” Akpabio told lawmakers, urging them to treat the matter as urgent.
The expansion of the committee, according to Akpabio, followed consultations with Senate leadership to ensure smooth collaboration with the House counterparts.
Tuesday’s session followed widespread criticism over the Senate’s earlier rejection of proposals for real-time electronic transmission of election results in Clause 60(3). The Senate had retained the section of the 2022 Act allowing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to determine the mode of transmission, drawing opposition protests and calls for electoral transparency.
However, the Senate has now reversed its stance, approving electronic transmission (excluding the “real-time” phrase) while specifying that the Form EC8A will remain the primary instrument for collating results in areas with limited internet connectivity.
The conference committee is expected to reconcile both versions of the bill in the coming days, paving the way for presidential assent.
