By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The Senate on Thursday rescinded its earlier passage of the Proceeds of Crime Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026, after uncovering what lawmakers described as substantive drafting, legal and policy deficiencies that could undermine the effectiveness of the proposed legislation.
The upper chamber unanimously agreed to reopen the bill, barely one week after passing it on July 9, and directed that it should not be transmitted to the House of Representatives until the identified flaws had been addressed.
Leading the motion, Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said a post-passage review revealed fundamental issues requiring further legislative scrutiny to ensure that the bill met its objectives and conformed with international best practices on asset recovery and proceeds of crime management.
He warned that allowing the bill to stand in its current form could create unintended legal and operational consequences that could weaken its implementation.
According to him, revisiting the legislation was in the overriding public interest and necessary to align it with Nigeria’s constitutional and legal framework.
Relying on Orders 1(b) and 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders (2023–2027), Bamidele urged lawmakers to rescind the earlier approval to allow a comprehensive review of the contentious provisions.
The motion briefly generated procedural debate after former Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, questioned whether it had been properly listed on the supplementary Order Paper.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, however, ruled that the motion was validly brought under the Senate rules, while Bamidele clarified that Abdullahi’s observation was procedural rather than an objection to the proposal’s substance.
Abdullahi subsequently seconded the motion, describing the review as being in the national interest.
He noted that the identified deficiencies justified reopening the bill to ensure that the final legislation complied with international standards and Nigeria’s legal framework.
The former Senate Leader also sought clarification on whether the bill would return to the relevant Senate committee or be referred to the National Assembly’s legal department for further work.
Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin commended Bamidele for swiftly bringing the matter before the chamber after the deficiencies were detected.
He said mistakes could occur during the legislative process, stressing that correcting them before a bill becomes law reflected legislative responsibility rather than weakness.
Jibrin urged senators to support the rescission to facilitate prompt correction of the identified shortcomings.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Abdul Ningi said such developments were not unusual in parliamentary practice. He advised that the sponsor of the private member’s bill should actively participate in harmonising the revised provisions to ensure broad ownership of the final legislation.
Some senators also suggested that if the proposed changes proved substantial, another public hearing might become necessary.
Akpabio, however, ruled the suggestion out of order, explaining that the Senate was considering only the motion to rescind the earlier passage and not the substantive contents of the bill.
He further clarified that since the legislation was a private member’s bill, it would be reconsidered after the inconsistencies with international best practices had been addressed.
Following a voice vote, the Senate unanimously rescinded its July 9 approval of the Proceeds of Crime Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
Akpabio thereafter directed that the legislation should not be transmitted to the House of Representatives pending the completion of the review process.
Shortly after the decision, Bamidele moved a motion for the Senate to proceed into a closed-door session to deliberate on matters he described as urgent and of national importance.
Before the motion was adopted, Deputy Senate President Jibrin cited Section 62 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), reminding lawmakers that while legislative committees are empowered to make recommendations, the Constitution does not compel either chamber of the National Assembly to adopt them.
He stressed that committee reports are advisory and that the Senate retains the constitutional authority to accept, amend or reject any recommendation placed before it.
Akpabio upheld the constitutional point of order, after which the motion for an executive session, seconded by Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro, was unanimously adopted by voice vote, and the Senate proceeded behind closed doors.
