Tinubu to sign amended electoral bill this month – Akpabio

President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the amended Electoral Act into law this month, according to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Akpabio made the disclosure on Tuesday, February 10, during an emergency plenary session of the Senate, where lawmakers constituted a conference committee to harmonise the upper chamber’s version of the bill with that passed by the House of Representatives.

“I believe that if you are able to conclude within this, in the next few days or one week, the President should be able to sign this amended Electoral Bill into an Act of Parliament within this month of February,” Akpabio told his colleagues. “So I wish you a worthy deliberation with your colleagues.”

The 12-member committee will meet with representatives from the House to reconcile differences in both versions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill before forwarding a unified draft to the President for assent.

Akpabio urged the panel to treat the assignment as urgent. “The conference committee, when you meet, you should recognize that this is a matter of urgency,” he said.

He explained that the expansion of the committee followed consultations with Senate leadership to ensure alignment with the House of Representatives.

The emergency session came amid public backlash over recent amendments to the Electoral Act, particularly changes to Clause 60(3) concerning the electronic transmission of election results.

Last week, the Senate rejected proposals mandating real-time electronic transmission of results, opting instead to retain provisions from the 2022 Act that give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) discretion over the mode of transmission.

The move drew criticism from opposition leaders and civil society groups, who argued that removing the real-time requirement could weaken electoral transparency. Protests were staged at the National Assembly over the issue.

In response to the criticism, the Senate on Tuesday reversed its earlier position and approved electronic transmission of results, though without the “real-time” clause. Lawmakers stipulated that where internet connectivity fails, Form EC8A will remain the primary instrument for result collation.

If harmonisation with the House is completed within the projected timeframe, the amended legislation could be signed into law before the end of February.