By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The leadership of the 10th National Assembly yesterday vowed to deliver sweeping electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections while accelerating work on the ₦58.47 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill, as lawmakers resumed plenary with just 16 months left in their constitutional tenure.
Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, in a statement on Monday, said the Assembly would prioritise trust, speed and far-reaching reforms to reposition Nigeria’s economy and strengthen democratic governance in a fast-changing global environment.
Bamidele said the Senate and House of Representatives would conclude work on critical legislative initiatives touching on the electoral system, fiscal reforms, and the governance structure.
He noted that the Assembly had already spent the past 32 months pursuing reforms to diversify the economy and boost global competitiveness.
He stressed that lawmakers could not afford delays, insisting that the overriding mandate remained the defence of national interest and the protection of the trust reposed in them by Nigerians.
On the economy, the Senate Leader said the National Assembly had begun intensive scrutiny of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2026 budget proposal, presented on December 18, 2025.
He described the fiscal document as central to macro-economic stability, job creation and improved living standards.
He said recent fiscal reforms, including the 2025 Tax Reform Act, had recalibrated Nigeria’s tax system to ease the burden on low-income earners while expanding responsibilities for high-income groups, a move he said would help shrink budget deficits and stabilise funding.
Bamidele disclosed that electoral reforms remained a top priority, with lawmakers reviewing the Electoral Act, 2022, clause by clause through the proposed Electoral Bill, 2025.
The bill, he said, introduced over 20 significant changes, including voting rights for prisoners, early release of election funds to INEC, electronic voter identification with QR codes, compulsory electronic transmission of results, standardised delegates for party primaries and stricter penalties for vote buying and electoral fraud.
He said the proposals would significantly enhance the credibility of elections beginning from 2027 if approved by the legislature.
He also said the review of the 1999 Constitution had reached an advanced stage, with public hearings concluded and reports ready for presentation to the Senate by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, before the end of the first quarter of 2026.
Bamidele noted that the final stage of the process would require endorsement by at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly, underscoring the crucial role of state legislatures in completing the reform cycle.
As the Assembly entered what he described as a defining phase, Bamidele assured Nigerians that lawmakers would remain focused on good governance, national security and citizens’ welfare.
“At this critical moment, our duty is not only to legislate but to safeguard the trust of our constituents and strengthen faith in our democracy and our country,” he said.
