A heated debate erupted on the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday over whether the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has the legal authority to monitor internal activities of political parties, including congresses and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings.

The controversy began when Hon. Peter Ifeanyi Uzokwe, raising a matter of personal explanation, urged Speaker Abbas Tajudeen to clarify provisions of the Electoral Act, which he argued do not explicitly empower INEC to oversee party conventions.

As Uzokwe attempted to cite Section 82(1) of the Act, Speaker Abbas interjected, reminding members that the House is in the process of amending the Electoral Act and that a dedicated session to review all clauses alongside the Senate is scheduled for next week.

“My appeal is that we suspend discussions on electoral matters until the amendment proposals are tabled,” the Speaker said, noting that the upcoming session would address all “defective” areas of the law.

Uzokwe, of the opposition Young Peoples Party (YPP) from Anambra State, insisted the matter concerns “an existing law,” warning that misinterpretations of INEC’s powers were creating wrong impressions outside the National Assembly.

The session escalated when Hon. Nwaeke Felix Uche (Rivers) raised a point of order, arguing that Uzokwe’s motion was controversial and could not be addressed under Order 8, Rule 6, which allows only non-controversial personal explanations.

Speaker Abbas responded that it is within his prerogative to determine what qualifies as controversial but reiterated his call for patience until the amendment process is completed.

Hon. Kabiru Mai-Palace argued that the motion was not a personal matter and should not have been entertained under the rule, while Hon. Jesse Okey-Joe Onuakalusi (Lagos) cited Section 4 of the Constitution, asserting that the House has a duty to hear members raising legal matters.

Despite multiple interventions, the Speaker maintained that discussions should be deferred until Deputy Speaker Dr. Benjamin Kalu presents the consolidated Electoral Act amendment proposals.

The chamber remained rowdy for over 15 minutes before order was restored, allowing the House to resume its scheduled business—the presentation of 28 bills.