The Nigerian Senate has constituted a 12-member conference committee to harmonise differences between its version of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and that of the House of Representatives.
The decision was announced by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, during an emergency plenary session held on Tuesday, following rising public criticism over recent amendments to the electoral law.
Akpabio explained that the number of committee members was increased from nine to 12 after consultations with Senate leadership, stressing the urgency of the assignment. He urged the panel to conclude its work swiftly to allow President Bola Tinubu sign the amended bill into law before the end of February.
The committee is chaired by Senator Simon Bako Lalong, with members including Senators Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Adamu Aliero, Orji Uzor Kalu, Abba Moro, Asuquo Ekpenyong, Aminu Iya Abbas, Tokunbo Abiru, Niyi Adegbonmire (SAN), Jibrin Isah, Ipalibo Banigo, and Onyekachi Nwebonyi.
Akpabio assured lawmakers that once the harmonisation process is concluded, the final version of the bill would be transmitted immediately to the Presidency for assent.
Tuesday’s emergency session was tense, marked by interruptions and heated debates, particularly over Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Act, which addresses the transmission of election results.
The controversy stems from the Senate’s earlier decision to remove the phrase “real-time” from provisions mandating electronic transmission of results, a move that sparked widespread protests across the country. Civil society groups, opposition figures, and political leaders such as Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi demanded the restoration of real-time electronic transmission to enhance transparency and electoral credibility.
During the session, lawmakers eventually agreed on a revised framework recognising electronic transmission as the primary method of uploading results, while allowing manual submission using Form EC8A only in cases of technical challenges.
Senate leadership clarified that the amendment does not reject electronic transmission but seeks to provide flexibility in situations of network failure, insisting that the intention is to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
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