President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the amended Electoral Act into law before the end of February, according to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
Akpabio made this known on Tuesday, February 10, during an emergency plenary session of the Senate, where lawmakers set up a conference committee to harmonise the Senate’s version of the bill with that passed by the House of Representatives.
“I believe that if you are able to conclude within the next few days or one week, the President should be able to sign this amended Electoral Bill into an Act of Parliament within this month of February,” Akpabio told his colleagues. He urged members to ensure productive deliberations.
A 12-member committee has been constituted to meet with representatives of the House and reconcile differences in both versions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill. The unified draft will then be forwarded to the President for assent.
Emphasising the urgency of the task, Akpabio charged the panel to treat the assignment as a priority.
“This is a matter of urgency,” he said.
He added that the expansion of the committee followed consultations with Senate leadership to ensure proper alignment with the House of Representatives.
The emergency session comes amid growing public criticism over recent amendments to the Electoral Act, especially changes to Clause 60(3) on the electronic transmission of election results.
