Members of the Joint National Assembly Conference Committee, tasked with reconciling differences in the Electoral Amendment Bill passed separately by the Senate and the House of Representatives, are expected to meet on Monday as lawmakers intensify efforts to transmit a harmonised version of the bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
The joint panel, comprising members from both chambers, has reportedly been given a one-week deadline to resolve contentious provisions in the bill, most notably those concerning the electronic transmission of election results.
The harmonisation exercise follows the passage of differing versions of the legislation by the Senate and the House, with sharp disagreements over the scope and application of technology in result collation and transmission.
By legislative procedure, when the two chambers pass differing versions of the same bill, a conference committee is constituted to reconcile the differences and produce a single text acceptable to both sides before it is forwarded to the President.
The current amendment process is unfolding against the backdrop of controversies that followed the 2023 general election, particularly the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload presidential election results to its Result Viewing Portal in real time.
The development has heightened public interest in the fate of the Electoral Amendment Bill, amid renewed debates over electronic result transmission and broader efforts to strengthen electoral transparency, credibility, and public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
It would be recalled that the Senate passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026, after reviewing and approving 155 clauses. During clause-by-clause consideration, amendments were made to some provisions, while the majority were retained. A major amendment approved was the reduction of the timeline for INEC to publish a notice of election from 360 days to 180 days.
The amendment followed a motion moved by Senator Tahir Monguno, who argued that the longer 360-day timeline was no longer practical. Retaining it, he said, would make it difficult for INEC to comply with the law, especially as preparations for the next general election were already underway.
The passage of the bill comes amid mounting pressure on the Senate to finalise the Electoral Act amendment and provide a clear legal framework for INEC ahead of forthcoming elections.
