Senate Stalls Again on Electoral Act 2026 Bill After 4-Hour Secret Deliberations

By Patrick Isaac

The Nigerian Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2026, ended inconclusively on Tuesday.

Lawmakers spent over four hours reviewing a seven-member ad hoc committee’s report behind closed doors but failed to reach a decision.

The upper chamber began open deliberations on the consolidated report tasked last week with harmonising senators’ inputs on the bill before moving into the closed session.

Upon reconvening, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio offered no comment on the outcome and adjourned plenary until the next legislative day.

The ad hoc committee, chaired by Senator Niyi Adegbomore (Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters), includes Senators Adamu Aliero, Aminu Tambuwal, Adams Oshiomhole, Danjuma Goje, Tony Nwoye, and Titus Zam.

It was formed after a prior two-hour closed-door review of provisions submitted by Senator Simon Lalong, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters.

This marks another delay, following an earlier deferral to allow thorough preparation on the proposed amendments.