The Senate on Tuesday reconvened for an emergency plenary session and dissolved into the Committee of the Whole for rescission and recommittal of the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026, to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to adjust its election timetable.
Recall that INEC had announced February 20, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections, with governorship and state Houses of Assembly polls scheduled for March 6, 2027.
The timetable comes amid ongoing debate on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill to allow for electronic transmission of election results in real time.
The Senate on Tuesday reworked, for the second time in one week, the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026, rescinding the action it earlier took last week when it passed the bill, readjusting the 360-day notice requirement prescribed in Clause 28 to ensure that the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections do not fall within the period of Ramadan.
The upper legislative chamber also, for the second time in a week, and after a call for division, rejected “real-time” electronic transmission of election results, favouring the manual mode where network fails.
According to the Senate, the adjustment of the timetable by the electoral umpire has become imperative against the backdrop that the coincidence of the elections with the Ramadan period could adversely affect voter turnout, logistical coordination, stakeholder engagement, and the overall inclusiveness and credibility of the electoral process.
The move was sequel to a motion for rescission and recommittal by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who cited the need to address fundamental discrepancies and logistical concerns regarding the 2027 general election timetable.
Coming under Orders 1(b) and 52(6) of the Senate Rules, Bamidele explained that the primary focus of the emergency session was to review Clause 28 of the bill, which currently mandates a 360-day notice for elections.
Order 52(6) reads: “It shall be out of order to attempt to reconsider any specific question upon which the Senate has come to a conclusion during the current Session except upon a substantive motion for rescission.”
Order 1(b) reads: “In all cases not provided for in this Standing Order, or by Sessional or other Orders or practice of the Senate, the Senate shall by Resolution regulate its procedure.”
The amendment was effected on Tuesday during the clause-by-clause consideration of the reworked Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
The Senate amended Clause 28 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, slashing the notice of election requirement by 60 days, from 360 days to 300 days, leaving INEC the flexibility to fix election dates between December 2026 and January 2027.
The amended Clause 28 states that: “The Commission shall, not later than 300 days before the day appointed for holding of an election under this Bill, publish a notice in each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory stating the date of the election and appointing the place at which nomination papers are to be delivered.
“The notice shall be published in each constituency in respect of which an election is to be held. In the case of a by-election, the Commission shall, not later than 14 days before the date appointed for the election, publish a notice stating the date of the election.
“There shall not be substitution of candidates in a by-election except where a candidate of a political party in a by-election dies; the party shall submit to the Commission the name of its substitute candidate within seven days of the death of the candidate in the form prescribed by the Commission.”
The amendment was effected on Tuesday during the clause-by-clause consideration of the reworked Electoral Act Amendment Bill after the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, raised a motion on the rescission and recommittal of the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026.
Bamidele underscored that upon critical review of the passed bill, the 360-day notice requirement prescribed in Clause 28 could result in the scheduling of the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections during the Ramadan period.
The motion also highlighted discrepancies discovered in the Long Title and several clauses of the bill, including Clauses 6, 9, 10, 22, 23, 28, 29, 32, 42, 47, 51, 60, 62, 64, 65, 73, 77, 86, 87, 89, 93, and 143. The identified issues reportedly affected cross-referencing, serial numbering, and internal consistency within the legislation.
Bamidele’s motion read: “Rescission and Recommittal of the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026 to the Committee of the Whole. Sponsor: Sen. Bamidele, Michael Opeyemi (Ekiti Central – Senate Leader).
“The Senate recalls that the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026 was duly considered and passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives; notes that upon further critical review of the Bill as passed, it has been observed that the 360-day notice requirement prescribed in Clause 28 may result in the scheduling of the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections within the period of Ramadan;
“Also notes that the coincidence of the elections with the Ramadan period could adversely affect voter turnout, logistical coordination, stakeholder engagement, and the overall inclusiveness and credibility of the electoral process;
“Observes that upon painstaking scrutiny of the Bill, discrepancies were identified in the Long Title and Clauses 6, 9, 10, 22, 23, 28, 29, 32, 42, 47, 51, 60, 62, 64, 65, 73, 77, 86, 87, 89, 93, and 143, which affected other clauses of the Bill, including issues relating to cross-referencing, serial numbering, and internal consistency;
“Aware that a Technical Committee comprising the leadership of both Chambers, members of the Conference Committee, the Clerks of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and legal drafting experts from the Directorate of Legal Services of the National Assembly met to harmonise and address the identified anomalies;
“Recognises the imperative of ensuring that electoral timelines and statutory provisions promote maximum participation, fairness, inclusivity, administrative efficiency, and public confidence in the electoral system;
“Desirous of correcting the identified inconsistencies and unintended consequences through appropriate legislative action in order to safeguard the integrity of the electoral framework; and relying on the provisions of Orders 1(b) and 53(6) of the Senate Standing Orders (as amended),
“Accordingly resolves to:
i. Rescind its decision on the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026 as previously passed; and
ii. Recommit the Bill to the Committee of the Whole for comprehensive reconsideration and necessary amendments.”
Rowdy Session
Earlier, proceedings in the Senate were literally slowed down when the table of the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, was surrounded by senators during the clause-by-clause consideration of the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2026, following a motion to rescind the earlier amendment.
The motion to rescind the bill was formally seconded, paving the way for the upper chamber to dissolve into the Committee of the Whole for detailed reconsideration and reenactment of the proposed legislation.
During the session, Akpabio reeled out the clauses one after the other for deliberation.
However, the process stalled at Clause 60 when Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South) raised a point of order, drawing immediate attention on the floor.
Following the intervention, murmurs spread across the chamber as lawmakers began speaking in small groups and approaching the Senate President’s desk for consultations.
A long pause ensued, and unable to resolve the issue, the Senate went into a closed session that lasted almost an hour.
When the doors reopened, the arguments continued more forcefully, with Abaribe citing Order 72(1) and calling for a division on Clause 60(3), specifically concerning the provision that if electronic transmission of results fails, Form EC8A should not serve as the sole basis, calling for the removal of the proviso that allows manual transmission in the event of network failure.
Citing Order 52(6), the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, argued that it would be out of order to revisit any provision on which the Senate President had already ruled.
This submission sparked another uproar in the chamber, during which Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) had a brief face-off with Abaribe.
The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, reminded lawmakers that he had sponsored the motion for rescission, underscoring that decisions previously taken by the Senate were no longer valid.
He maintained that, consistent with his motion, Abaribe’s demand was in line.
Akpabio suggested that the call for division was merely an attempt by Abaribe to publicly demonstrate his stance to Nigerians.
The Senate President sustained the point of order, after which Abaribe rose in protest and was urged to formally move his motion.
Abaribe eventually had the chance to call for the division after intervention from the Senate Leader that it was within his privilege to do so.
To the President of the Senate, the beauty of democracy was in full action as he moderated the votes, asking senators to signify their positions by standing up and raising their hands.
At the end of the voting process, 55 senators, including the Deputy Minority Leader, Oyewunmi Olalere (PDP, Osun West), voted to retain the proviso to allow manual transmission where the network fails.
It was a crushing defeat for Abaribe and 14 others, mainly from the opposition, who insisted on mandatory electronic transmission of election results in real time.
According to Akpabio, those who voted for the proviso for manual transmission had just saved Nigeria’s democracy, even as he hailed Abaribe and others for standing their ground.
With this development, the Senate has, for the second time in one week, effectively rejected real-time transmission of election results, retaining its earlier position that where the network fails, the signed Form EC8A (manual transmission) becomes the primary source of election results.
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