The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2026, following a heated plenary marked by sharp disagreements among lawmakers.
Proceedings turned rowdy when Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC, Abia South) demanded a division over Clause 60 of the bill. Senate President Godswill Akpabio responded that he believed the demand had earlier been withdrawn, prompting immediate objections from several opposition senators.
Citing Order 52(6), Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin argued that it would be procedurally out of order to revisit a matter on which the Senate President had already ruled. His intervention further heightened tensions, with Senator Sunday Karimi briefly clashing verbally with Abaribe.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele later clarified that he had sponsored the motion for rescission, noting that once such a motion is adopted, earlier decisions on the bill cease to stand. He maintained that Abaribe’s request for division was consistent with the rescission process.
Akpabio, however, suggested that the call for division was an attempt by Abaribe to publicly register his position before Nigerians.
In a key development, the Senate amended Clause 28 of the bill, reducing the mandatory notice period for elections from 360 days to 300 days. The adjustment grants the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) greater flexibility in fixing dates for the 2027 general elections, potentially allowing polls to be scheduled between December 2026 and January 2027.
The revised clause stipulates that the commission must publish a notice of election not later than 300 days before the date set for the poll in each state of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, indicating the election date and the designated locations for submission of nomination papers.
The amendment followed a motion for rescission and recommittal of the bill moved by Bamidele, who explained that a strict 360-day notice requirement could result in the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections falling within the Ramadan period.
