The Senate on Tuesday once again failed to conclude deliberations on the proposed amendment to the Electoral Act, following several hours of discussions held behind closed doors.
Lawmakers moved into an executive session shortly after plenary commenced to consider the report of an ad hoc committee constituted to harmonise senators’ inputs on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. The closed-door meeting reportedly lasted for about five hours.
However, when plenary resumed, Senate President Godswill Akpabio did not disclose details of the deliberations or indicate any resolution reached on the bill. Instead, he announced the burial arrangements for the late Senator Okechukwu Ezea, who represented the Enugu North Senatorial District until his death.
No official information was provided on the outcome of the Senate’s discussions on the Electoral Act amendment, leaving the fate of the bill uncertain.
The latest executive session followed the Senate’s decision last week to constitute a seven-member ad hoc committee after an earlier three-hour closed session failed to produce a consensus on the proposed amendments.
Announcing the committee at the time, Akpabio said it was “mandated to contribute, galvanise and distil the opinion of senators on the bill.”
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The committee is chaired by Senator Niyi Adegbonmire, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters. Other members are Senators Adamu Aliero, Aminu Tambuwal, Adams Oshiomhole, Danjuma Goje, Tony Nwoye and Titus Zam.
Akpabio had disclosed that the panel was given a maximum of three days to complete its assignment and report back to the Senate. While noting that the House of Representatives had already passed the bill, he urged the upper chamber to exercise caution in its consideration.
Despite multiple executive sessions, the Senate has yet to pass the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, marking the third unsuccessful attempt within two weeks to conclude deliberations.
The Senate has, however, maintained that it will not rush the bill, citing the high volume of post-election litigation that followed the 2023 general elections and the need for thorough legislative scrutiny to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral framework.
Earlier, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, had expressed optimism that the proposed amendments would significantly enhance the credibility of elections and promote greater institutional independence in the country’s electoral process.