Senate Adjourns Without Verdict On Electoral Act Amendment Bill

The Senate on Tuesday adjourned plenary without reaching a decision on the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2026, after spending more than four hours considering the report of a seven-member ad hoc committee in a closed-door session.

Lawmakers had commenced deliberations on the committee’s consolidated report, which was constituted last week to collate and harmonise contributions on the bill.

The session later transitioned into a closed-door meeting to review relevant documents.

Upon reconvening plenary, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, declined to comment on the outcome of the deliberations and subsequently adjourned proceedings to the next legislative day, leaving the fate of the bill unresolved.

The Senate had last week set up the seven-member committee to collate, harmonise, and distil lawmakers’ views on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026, mandating it to submit a consolidated report to the chamber on Tuesday.

The committee was formed following over two hours of consideration of the bill’s provisions during an earlier closed-door session.

The ad hoc committee is chaired by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Niyi Adegbemire.

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

Earlier, the Senate had commenced consideration of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2026, before moving into a closed session to examine documents submitted by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong.

According to lawmakers, the closed-door session was convened to allow a thorough examination of the proposed amendments and supporting documents before further legislative debate.

The latest development follows the Senate’s decision last Wednesday to defer consideration of the bill to give members adequate time to prepare for a detailed review.