Onwuka Nzeshi 
The Senate was on Thursday thrown into confusion over the amendment of the Electoral Act 2022, as the second reading of the bill was abruptly halted midway to allow for further consultations before the process continues.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Senator Simon Lalong, had opened debate on the general principles of the bill at the resumption of plenary. Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, who presided over the session, had given him the nod to lead the debate while other senators prepared to contribute.
However, proceedings took an unexpected turn when Senate President Godswill Akpabio entered the chamber, took over from his deputy, and immediately stopped the debate. He questioned the rationale for proceeding with the bill’s second reading without adequate consensus among all stakeholders.
Akpabio then proposed a closed-door session to deliberate on what he described as “grey areas” in the bill, noting that Senator Lalong had not sufficiently justified the urgency of the amendment.
“I want to know whether there are certain things that will convince us here of the need to make it pass second reading. You are supposed to talk about general principles, yes, but what have you been able to tell us?
“For us to proceed, I think we should go into a closed session so that you can let us know the areas you wish to amend. Let’s not be taken by surprise when we go for a public hearing,” Akpabio said.
Akpabio’s reference to a public hearing on the bill surprised Lalong and many of his colleagues, as a joint public hearing by the National Assembly’s Committee on Electoral Matters had already been held earlier in the week.
Instead of proceeding with the closed-door session, Akpabio invited Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele to “approach the chair” for a brief consultative meeting at plenary.
After about ten minutes, Bamidele addressed the chamber, advising that discussions on the bill be suspended until further consultations were concluded.
“I believe the time today is not auspicious for us to go into executive session to discuss this bill. There is a need for further consultation before we can proceed,” he said.
Following his submission, a motion was moved and seconded to halt further consideration of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, and the bill was subsequently stepped down.
While the official reason for the suspension remains unclear, New Telegraph gathered that certain powerful interests were reportedly uncomfortable with some of the proposed amendments adopted by stakeholders during Monday’s public hearing.
Among the proposals contained in the joint committee’s harmonised document is a recommendation that presidential and governorship elections be held in November 2026, with all election-related litigations resolved before the May 29, 2027 swearing-in ceremonies.
