The Nigerian Senate has passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal & Enactment) Bill, 2026, following detailed consideration of its 155 clauses.
The passage comes amid amendments to select provisions, while the majority of the clauses were retained as originally proposed.
One of the amendments was the reduction of the timeline for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to publish the notice of election from 360 days to 180 days.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Senator Tahir Monguno who moved that the earlier 360 days required for INEC to publish the notice of election be reduced to 180 days.
Senator Monguno explained that the reduction in date was necessary to enable INEC meet up with the requirements on publication of notice, saying that it was already late if the 360 days was taken into consideration regarding the next general election.
“Reducing the timeline is necessary to enable INEC to meet the requirements for the publication of the notice. If we retain 360 days, it will already be too late for the next general election.”
The Senate also retained the provision on the format of ballot papers contained in Clause 44.
Under the clause, the INEC is required, not later than 20 days before an election, to invite in writing any political party that nominated a candidate to inspect its identity on samples of relevant electoral materials.
Political parties are allowed to respond in writing within two days, indicating approval or disapproval of how their identity appears on the samples.
Under Clause 47, the Senate replaced smart card readers with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for accreditation and voting.
Meanwhile, the Senate struck out Clause 142 on the effect of non-compliance, which provided that “it shall not be necessary for a party who alleges non-compliance with the provisions of this Bill for the conduct of elections to call oral evidence if originals or certified true copies of relevant documents manifestly disclose the non-compliance alleged.”
The provision was removed, following arguments that it would amount to a waste of time in court.
To become law, the Senate and House of Representatives will harmonise their versions and transmit it to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
This development is coming shortly before INEC reaffirmed its readiness for the 2027 general elections.
With this amendment, INEC will now have a more manageable window to release the election notice, helping to ensure adequate preparation and a smoother conduct of the 2027 polls.
The Senate has now set up a Conference Committee, headed by Senator Sani Solomon Lalang to meet with their counterpart in the House of Representatives to harmonise the difference versions of the Electoral Amendment Bill passed by both Chambers.