- Oshiomhole, Tambuwal, Goje Others Make Seven-Man Committee To Harmonise Bill
- Committee Gets Three Days Timeframe To Conclude Assignment, Submit Report To Senate
- Reps Pass N58.47tn 2026 Budget Proposal For Second Reading
Ahead of the 2027 General Election, the Nigerian Senate has moved swiftly on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, setting up a special committee to harmonize lawmakers’ views.
TheMatrix Newspaper reports that the delay in passing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill has triggered widespread criticism in many quarters.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and civil society groups have warned that the credibility of the 2027 elections is at risk if urgent reforms are not enacted.
He argued that loopholes in the Electoral Act 2022 enabled widespread rigging in the 2023 elections and made it nearly impossible for petitioners to prove their cases in court.
Furthermore, Atiku accused the Senate of deliberately stalling the amendment process, warning that such inaction amounts to laying the groundwork for manipulation in the 2027 polls.
Reacting during plenary on Thursday, the Senate constituted a seven-man committee to collate, harmonise, and distil lawmakers’ contributions and opinions on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2026, with a mandate to present a consolidated report to the chamber next Tuesday.
The decision followed over two hours of consideration of the bill’s provisions during a closed-door session.
The committee is chaired by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Niyi Adegbomore, a Senor Advocate of Nigeria.
Other members are Senators Adamu Aliero, Aminu Tambuwal, Adams Oshiomhole, Danjuma Goje, Tony Nwoye, and Titus Zam.
The committee has been given three days to conclude its assignment and submit its report for consideration at the next plenary session scheduled for next week.
The Senate on Thursday commenced consideration of the Electoral Act 2022 (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill 2026, moving into a closed-door session to review documents submitted by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong.
The closed session was convened to allow lawmakers to thoroughly examine the proposed amendments and supporting documents before engaging in further legislative debate on the bill.
Although the House of Representatives has already passed the bill, Senate President Senator Godswill Akpabio underscored the need for thorough scrutiny, given the bill’s implications for the nation’s electoral process.
“This is a very important bill, especially as it is election time. We must take our time to ensure justice is done to all, so that we do not end up at the tribunal,” he said.
According to the committee’s findings, a clause-by-clause analysis of the bill indicates that enacting the legislation would leave Nigerians with an enduring legacy of electoral integrity, enhance transparency, and boost public confidence.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives on Thursday passed President Bola Tinubu’s N58.47 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill for second reading.
The 2026 budget proposal, titled “Budget of Consolidation, Renewed Resilience, and Shared Prosperity,” sailed through during plenary without debate.
Presenting the general principles of the bill, the House Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, described the budget as a critical step in Nigeria’s drive toward peace, economic stability, growth, and sustainable development.
He said the Tinubu administration has maintained fiscal discipline, noting that no new naira has been printed since the government assumed office, particularly through the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Ways and Means advances.
“We have not printed a single naira since this government came into office. That fiscal discipline has helped to stabilize the economy,” Ihonvbere said.
Following the second reading, Speaker of the House Tajudeen Abbas referred the appropriation bill to the House Committee on Appropriations for further legislative consideration.
It would be recalled that the Senate passed the budget for second reading on December 23, 2025.
