Senate Passes Electoral Act Amendment After Heated Plenary Session

Lawmakers Clash Over Electronic Transmission Clause Before 55-15 Vote

The Senate on Tuesday passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026 following a turbulent session that saw lawmakers locked in fierce disagreement.

The controversy erupted when Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC, Abia South) raised a point of order challenging Clause 60, leading to sharp divisions in the upper chamber.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio initially asserted that the matter had been previously withdrawn, but opposition senators immediately contested this claim.

Citing Order 52(6), Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin argued against revisiting provisions already ruled upon—a submission that triggered further uproar and a brief confrontation between Senator Sunday Karimi and Senator Abaribe.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele intervened, reminding lawmakers that his motion for rescission rendered previous decisions invalid, thereby supporting Abaribe’s demand.

Akpabio suggested Abaribe’s call for division was merely for public demonstration, but sustained the point of order, prompting the Abia lawmaker to formally move his motion.

Invoking Order 72(1), Senator Abaribe demanded division on Clause 60(3), seeking removal of a proviso allowing manual result transmission when electronic transmission fails, arguing that Form EC8A should not stand alone in such circumstances.

During the division, Akpabio directed supporters of the proviso to stand, followed by opponents—15 opposition senators—resulting in a 55-15 vote against Abaribe’s position.

The session had earlier stalled during clause-by-clause consideration following a motion to rescind previous amendments, which was formally seconded Tuesday, enabling the committee of the whole to undertake detailed reconsideration.

Before rescission, the Senate cited concerns over the 2027 election timetable and technical inconsistencies in the legislation.

Bamidele moved for rescission under Order 52(6), explaining that INEC’s February 2027 election timetable conflicted with Clause 28’s requirement that elections be scheduled not later than 360 days before tenure expiration.

He warned that the 360-day notice requirement would place the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections during Ramadan, potentially affecting voter turnout and electoral credibility.

The motion also identified discrepancies in the bill’s Long Title and multiple clauses, including Clauses 6, 9, 10, 22, 23, 28, 29, 32, 42, 47, 51, 60, 62, 64, 65, 73, 77, 86, 87, 89, 93, and 143, affecting cross-referencing and internal consistency.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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