Senate Forms Seven-Man Committee to Harmonise Electoral Act Amendment Bill

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Senate has constituted a seven-man committee to harmonise contributions and opinions on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026, with a mandate to present a consolidated report to the chamber next Tuesday.

The decision followed over two hours of consideration of the bill’s provisions during a closed-door session on Thursday.

The committee is chaired by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Mr Niyi Adegbomore.

Other members are Senators Adamu Aliero, Aminu Tambuwal, Adams Oshiomhole, Danjuma Goje, Tony Nwoye, and Titus Zam.

The group has three days to conclude its assignment and submit its report for consideration at the next plenary session scheduled for next week.

The Senate on Thursday commenced consideration of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill 2026, moving into a closed-door session to review documents submitted by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Mr Simon Lalong.

The Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2025 would expand voter participation, safeguard against electoral fraud, and strengthen institutional capacity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The closed session was convened to allow lawmakers to thoroughly examine the proposed amendments and supporting documents before engaging in further legislative debate on the bill.

This development comes after the upper chamber deferred consideration of the bill on Wednesday, giving lawmakers time to prepare for a detailed review.

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

“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 committee’s findings, a clause-by-clause analysis of the bill indicates that enacting the legislation would leave Nigerians with an enduring legacy of electoral integrity, enhance transparency, and boost public confidence.

The bill contains more than 20 key innovations distinguishing it from previous electoral frameworks, including provisions recognising the voting rights of prisoners and mandating INEC to register eligible inmates in correctional facilities nationwide.

It also prescribes sanctions for vote-buying ranging from a fine of N5 million to a two-year jail term, as well as a 10-year ban from contesting elections. It also recommends mandatory jail terms and higher fines for offences such as result falsification and obstruction of election officials.

Others include standardising delegates for indirect party primaries to prevent arbitrary determination of delegate criteria by party leaders, while addressing perennial funding challenges to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by mandating the release of election funds at least one year before polling day.