The House of Representatives erupted into a chaotic session on Tuesday during a resumed plenary presided over by Speaker Dr Tajudeen Abbas.
The session, sparsely attended, saw the Speaker read the only item on the day’s Order Paper: “Rescission of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025”, following a motion moved by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Mr Francis Waive. The motion was supported by the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun.
Speaking on the motion, Waive said the House aimed to correct inconsistencies and unintended consequences in the Electoral Act through appropriate legislative action to safeguard electoral integrity. However, when the Speaker called for a vote, the majority of lawmakers opposed the motion, while only a few ayes were counted, sparking agitation from the minority caucus.
Tensions escalated as lawmakers argued over alleged attempts to alter the version of the bill already passed. Jigawa lawmaker Abubakar Yalleman was seen in a heated exchange with Osun State’s Bamidele Salam, though details remain unconfirmed. The House eventually went into a closed-door executive session, and lawmakers had not resumed at the time of reporting.
The dispute stems from a difference in approach between the two chambers: while the House approved real-time electronic transmission of election results, the Senate allowed manual transmission where real-time methods fail. Conference committees in both chambers were set up to reconcile the versions, but the rescission motion reignited tensions.
