Lawmakers at the National Assembly are set to begin harmonisation of the Electoral Amendment Bill on Monday as efforts intensify to forward a unified version of the legislation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent.
Members of the joint conference committee drawn from the Senate and the House of Representatives have been given a one-week window to resolve differences in the versions earlier passed by both chambers.
Central to the deliberations are provisions relating to the electronic transmission of election results and the broader role of technology in collation.
The reconciliation process follows legislative procedure, which requires both chambers to produce a single agreed text when separate versions of a bill are adopted before it is transmitted to the president.
Public interest in the amendment has grown since controversies surrounding the 2023 general elections, particularly the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission to upload presidential election results to its Result Viewing Portal in real time.
The Senate had earlier passed the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026 after reviewing all 155 clauses, making adjustments to several sections while retaining the bulk of the original provisions.
One of the notable changes was the reduction of the timeframe for INEC to issue a notice of election from 360 days to 180 days.
The proposal was championed by Senator Tahir Monguno, who argued that the earlier timeline had become impractical and could hinder preparations for future elections.
The ongoing amendment process comes amid mounting pressure on lawmakers to finalise the legal framework guiding Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of upcoming polls, with debates continuing over transparency, credibility and public trust in the process.
