The House of Representatives on Tuesday witnessed a tense and disorderly session after lawmakers resumed deliberations on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2025, nearly two hours after meeting behind closed doors.
The lawmakers had earlier agreed to revisit the amendment bill, which was initially passed in December 2025, following the discovery of inconsistencies and unintended provisions. The issues were identified by a harmonisation committee made up of leaders from both legislative chambers, members of the conference committee, clerks of the Senate and House of Representatives, and legal experts from the National Assembly’s Directorate of Legal Services.
Presenting the motion to reconsider the bill in line with Order Nine, Rule 6 of the House Standing Orders, Hon. Francis E. Waiwe from Delta State explained that the move was necessary to protect the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral system. He said the review would help ensure fairness, inclusiveness, administrative efficiency, and strengthen public confidence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Following the approval of the motion, the House moved into the Committee of the Whole for a detailed examination of the bill, with the Deputy Speaker presiding over the session.
However, tensions escalated when the Deputy Speaker initially attempted to consider the committee report as a whole instead of reviewing each clause separately. This approach sparked strong objections from several lawmakers, who insisted that the amendment’s significance required careful clause-by-clause scrutiny.
The situation quickly became rowdy, with members raising their voices in protest and demanding a more transparent and detailed process. In response to the resistance, the Deputy Speaker suspended the bulk consideration and agreed to restart the exercise, allowing lawmakers to examine and vote on each clause individually.
During the deliberations, lawmakers approved Clause 60(3), which provides for both real-time electronic transmission and manual transmission of election results.
The inclusion of manual transmission, however, generated heated debate on the floor.
Rep. Bamidele Salam proposed an amendment to remove the provision for manual transmission, arguing that maintaining it could weaken the credibility of the electoral process and slow down the country’s progress toward full technological adoption in elections. His motion was supported by Rep. Kingsley Chinda.
When the proposal was subjected to a voice vote, the majority of lawmakers rejected it, with the “nays” prevailing. This decision means that manual transmission of election results remains part of the proposed amendment alongside electronic transmission.
The development highlights ongoing divisions among lawmakers over the best approach to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of the next general elections.
Reps Session Turns Rowdy as Lawmakers Reopen Electoral Act Amendment, Retain Manual Result Transmission
