Members of the Joint National Assembly Conference Committee set up to resolve differences between the Senate and House of Representatives versions of the Electoral Amendment Bill are expected to meet on Monday, as lawmakers move closer to forwarding a harmonised draft to President Bola Tinubu for approval.
Sources disclosed that the committee, comprising lawmakers from both chambers, has been given one week to reconcile contentious areas of the bill, especially provisions concerning the electronic transmission of election results. The need for harmonisation arose after both chambers passed differing versions of the bill, particularly on how technology should be used in collating and transmitting results.
The amendments are being considered against the backdrop of controversies from the 2023 general elections, notably INEC’s failure to upload presidential results to the Result Viewing Portal (IReV) in real time. Since then, civil society groups, opposition parties, and some lawmakers have called for clearer legal backing to ensure transparency through electronic result transmission ahead of the 2027 elections.
While many legislators have declined to publicly comment on the likely outcome, insiders confirmed that the harmonisation process is scheduled to begin on Monday. Senator Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa West also indicated that the meeting was likely to hold then, though he is not a member of the committee.
The Senate and House versions differ mainly on whether real-time electronic transmission should be mandatory or allowed alongside manual collation in cases of technical failure. Senate President Godswill Akpabio has expressed confidence that the final bill will be transmitted to the President before the end of the month.
Meanwhile, legal experts and stakeholders, including former Nigerian Bar Association President Olisa Agbakoba, have urged lawmakers to make real-time electronic transmission compulsory, arguing that it would strengthen transparency and restore confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process. The outcome of the committee’s deliberations is expected to shape the final amendments to the Electoral Act and clarify the role of technology in future elections.
