By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The House of Representatives was thrown into turmoil yesterday as fierce exchanges over the proposed amendment to the Electoral Act triggered a dramatic walkout by members of the minority caucus.
The development further deepened the divisions within the National Assembly even as the Senate moved swiftly to pass the contentious bill.
The uproar followed a motion by Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Rep. Francis Waive (APC-Delta), seeking to rescind the House’s earlier passage of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, particularly the clause mandating compulsory real-time electronic transmission of results to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
When Speaker Tajudeen Abbas put the motion to a voice vote, the “nays” appeared louder than the “ayes,” but he ruled in favour of the ayes.
The decision sparked loud protests, with several lawmakers shouting in objection, before the Speaker directed the House to move into a closed-door session.
Waive had argued that the House was acting within its rules to correct “identified inconsistencies and unintended consequences” in the bill.
He noted that a Technical Committee comprising leaders of both chambers, members of the Conference Committee, clerks and legal experts had been constituted to harmonise positions and address anomalies.
The controversy centres on the House’s earlier adoption of a clause stating that “the presiding officer shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to the IReV portal in real time” after the due signing of Form EC8A.
Opposition lawmakers insist the clause strengthens electoral transparency, while proponents of rescinding it argue that harmonisation with the Senate’s position is necessary to avoid legislative deadlock.
Speaking on behalf of the caucus, the Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, said that the caucus discovered changes in the version presented for clause-by-clause consideration, including provisions recognising three forms of party primaries.
Chinda disclosed that the minority immediately convened an emergency meeting to review the amendments, particularly Section 60, which deals with the electronic transmission of election results.
“Our position is that election results should be transmitted electronically without any proviso,” he said, stressing that the caucus opposed any clause capable of creating room for manipulation or undermining the integrity of the electoral process.
The minority also proposed that in cases of conflict between the manual result sheet (EC8A) and electronically transmitted results, the electronically transmitted results should take precedence.
According to Chinda, the proposals were rejected by the majority for what he termed political reasons rather than technical or legal considerations.
He further addressed Section 84 of the Act, which relates to primary elections, insisting that political parties must retain the autonomy to determine their preferred mode of candidate selection.
“The method of selecting candidates is an internal party affair. It is not for the law to impose a particular option on political parties,” he said.
Chinda explained that the walkout was a deliberate protest against provisions the minority believed could weaken transparency, internal party democracy, and public confidence in the electoral system.
*Senate splits 55–15, retains manual collation backup
In the upper chamber, the Senate reopened debate on the Electoral Act. It rescinded a bill it had passed barely a week earlier, before amending key provisions following consultations with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Presiding over plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio invoked the Senate Standing Orders to recommit the bill for fresh clause-by-clause consideration.
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, who moved the motion, said legislative intervention became necessary after INEC released its 2027 timetable in line with the existing 360-day statutory notice requirement.
“Without legislative intervention, it would be impossible for the Commission to adjust the schedule,” Bamidele said, warning that election dates could overlap with Ramadan and the Christian Lenten season.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC and Electoral Matters, Simon Lalong, dismissed suggestions that INEC deliberately fixed dates to clash with religious observances. He noted that the commission had unveiled a long-term electoral cycle, projecting polls through 2031.
Tension peaked during the consideration of Section 60(3) on the electronic transmission of results. At issue was a proviso permitting reliance on manually completed Form EC8A where poor internet connectivity prevents immediate upload to IReV.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe called for a formal division, triggering a headcount vote. At the end of the tally, 55 senators voted to retain the manual collation proviso, while 15 opposed it.
Announcing the result, Akpabio declared, “The proviso stays,” drawing applause from the majority benches.
In his closing remarks, the Senate President described the IReV portal as “a major innovation in Nigeria’s electoral history,” adding that it enables real-time public access to results across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.
*Reduces INEC notice to 300 days for review
In another significant amendment, the Senate reduced the statutory notice period for elections from 360 days to 300 days under Clause 28 of the amended law.
Lawmakers said the adjustment creates room for INEC to review the February 2027 election dates without breaching statutory limits.
Following clause-by-clause consideration, the Senate passed the amended bill for third reading and adopted the votes and proceedings.
The legislation is expected to be transmitted to the House of Representatives for concurrence and subsequent harmonisation..
