President Bola Tinubu is set to sign the amended Electoral Act into law this month, Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced on Tuesday.
Akpabio made the disclosure during an emergency plenary session, where lawmakers inaugurated a 12-member conference committee to reconcile the Senate’s version of the bill with the one passed by the House of Representatives. The move comes after widespread public backlash over some amendments to the Act.
“I believe that if you conclude your work within the next few days or a week, the President should be able to sign this amended Electoral Bill into law within February,” Akpabio told the Senate, urging the committee to treat the assignment with urgency.
The committee will collaborate closely with the House of Representatives to harmonise both versions of the bill. Akpabio emphasized the importance of swift deliberations to ensure a smooth legislative process.
The emergency session followed nationwide criticism of the Senate’s earlier rejection of proposals for real-time electronic transmission of election results under Clause 60(3). While opposition leaders argued that this could weaken democratic safeguards, the Senate later approved electronic transmission—without specifying “real-time”—and confirmed that in cases of connectivity failure, the manually signed Form EC8A will serve as the primary basis for result collation.
The development comes amid ongoing debates about ensuring transparency, credibility, and public trust in Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
