Members of the Joint National Assembly Conference Committee, set up to reconcile 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.

Findings indicate that the joint panel, comprising members of both chambers, has been given a one-wee
k deadline to resolve contentious provisions in the bill—most notably those bordering on 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.

What Nigerians need to know

Under legislative procedure, when the two chambers pass varying 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 the electronic transmission of results 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, following the consideration and approval of its 155 clauses.

During clause-by-clause consideration, amendments were made to some provisions, while the majority were retained as proposed. A major amendment approved by the lawmakers was the reduction of the timeline for the Independent National Electoral Commission (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 earlier 360-day requirement was no longer practical. According to him, retaining the longer timeline would make it difficult for INEC to comply with the law, noting that preparations for the next general election were already underway.

The passage of the bill comes amid mounting pressure on the Senate to conclude work on the Electoral Act amendment to provide a clear legal framework for INEC ahead of forthcoming elections.