Tension flared in the House of Representatives on Tuesday as lawmakers descended into a rowdy session over a motion seeking to rescind aspects of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025 — particularly provisions relating to the real-time electronic transmission of election results.
The resumed plenary, presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, was sparsely attended but quickly turned contentious after the Speaker read the sole item on the day’s Order Paper: Rescission of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The motion was moved by Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive, and seconded by Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun.
Lawmakers Cite “Anomalies”
While presenting the motion, Waive explained that a technical committee comprising leadership from both chambers of the National Assembly, members of the Conference Committee, clerks of the Senate and House, and legal drafting experts had met to harmonise the bill and address identified anomalies.
He stressed the need to safeguard electoral timelines, promote fairness and inclusivity, enhance administrative efficiency, and strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
According to him, the House sought to rescind its earlier decision and recommit the bill to the Committee of the Whole for reconsideration in order to correct inconsistencies and unintended consequences.
Controversial Voice Vote
However, when Speaker Abbas put the motion to a voice vote, the outcome immediately sparked controversy.
Although the majority of lawmakers present appeared to vote “nay,” the Speaker proceeded to count the fewer “ayes” in favour, triggering protests — particularly from minority caucus members who insisted they had carried the vote.
The chamber quickly grew tense. At one point, Jigawa lawmaker Abubakar Yalleman was seen gesturing animatedly toward his Osun counterpart, Bamidele Salam, though the details of their exchange were not immediately clear.
As tempers rose, the Speaker announced a closed-door executive session to restore order. Lawmakers had yet to resume plenary at the time of filing this report.
Allegations of Altered Bill
Adding to the controversy, a lawmaker who spoke anonymously alleged that attempts were being made to alter the version of the bill earlier passed by the House.
“They have doctored the Electoral Act, but whatever they brought here will not be considered. Members are angry,” the lawmaker said.
Background to the Dispute
The National Assembly had earlier constituted conference committees in both chambers to reconcile differences between the Senate and House versions of the amendment bill.
While the House approved a provision mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results, the Senate adopted a modified position, allowing manual transmission where real-time electronic transmission fails.
The current standoff underscores deep divisions within the legislature over electoral reforms — an issue widely regarded as critical to the credibility and integrity of Nigeria’s democratic process.
