President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the amended Electoral Act into law later this month, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has confirmed.
Akpabio made the statement on Tuesday during an emergency Senate plenary session, where lawmakers inaugurated a 12-member committee tasked with harmonising the Senate’s version of the bill with that of the House of Representatives.
The move comes amid widespread backlash over certain amendments to the Act.
“I believe that if you are able to conclude within the next few days or a week, the President should be able to sign this amended Electoral Bill into law within this month of February,” Akpabio told the Senate.
“I wish you a worthy deliberation with your colleagues.”
The committee, he added, should treat the harmonisation process as a matter of urgency, noting that the expansion of its membership followed consultations with House leadership to ensure alignment between both chambers.
The session follows opposition criticism and public protests over the Senate’s initial rejection of proposals for real-time electronic transmission of election results as outlined in Clause 60 (3) of the Electoral Act.
The original provision allowed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to determine the mode of result transmission.
On Tuesday, however, the Senate reversed its earlier stance, approving electronic transmission while retaining a manual backup procedure.
In cases of internet failure, the manually generated Form EC8A will serve as the primary tool for collation.
Opposition leaders have argued that any weakening of electronic transmission could undermine the integrity of Nigeria’s elections.
