- the House has resolved to rescind the earlier decision on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill
- The session eventually moved into a closed-door executive meeting
- an Attempts to alter the already approved version of the bill had caused anger in the chamber
The House of Representatives experienced a heated session on Tuesday as lawmakers resumed plenary under the leadership of Speaker Dr. Tajudeen Abbas.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the attendance was low, and the only agenda item read by the Speaker was the “Rescission of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025,” following a motion moved by Mr. Francis Waive, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business.
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The motion received support from Adebayo Balogun, Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters.
Waive explained that a Technical Committee, including leaders from both chambers, members of the Conference Committee, the Clerks of the Senate and House, and legal experts from the National Assembly’s Directorate of Legal Services, had reviewed the bill to address inconsistencies.
He said, “To ensure adherence to electoral timelines, statutory provisions, inclusivity, and public confidence, the House has resolved to rescind the earlier decision on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill and refer it back to the Committee of the Whole for further review.”
When Speaker Abbas called for a vote, the majority of legislators opposed the motion, but he proceeded to count the few ayes. This triggered visible agitation, particularly among members of the minority caucus.
A confrontation reportedly occurred between Jigawa lawmaker Abubakar Yalleman and Osun State’s Bamidele Salam, though details remain unconfirmed.
The session eventually moved into a closed-door executive meeting, and lawmakers had not reconvened at the time of reporting.
Separately, a lawmaker speaking said that attempts to alter the already approved version of the bill had caused anger in the chamber.
“They have tampered with the Electoral Act, but members are determined that any such changes will not be accepted,” the lawmaker said.
Earlier, the National Assembly had established conference committees in both the Senate and House to reconcile differences between their versions of the bill.
While the House’s amendment mandated real-time electronic transmission of election results, the Senate allowed a manual option in areas where real-time reporting fails.
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