Written by Henry Umoru
ABUJA- THE Senate has set up an ad hoc committee to galvanise and condense all the perspectives of Senators on the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill.
Senators Adamu Aliero (APC, Kebbi Central), Aminu Tambuwal (PDP, Sokoto South), Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North), Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central), Tony Nwoye (LP, Anambra North), and Titus Zam (APC, Benue North West) are the Committee’s members. The announcement was made yesterday following a closed session that lasted from 1 to 3 p.m. Emmanuel Odo, the Senate Clerk, will act as Secretary.
The committee will report back in plenary on Tuesday of the following week after having 48 hours to finish its task.
The Report of the Committee on Electoral Matters, Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal & Enactment) Bill, 2026 (SB. 903), delivered by the Chairman, Senator Simon Lalong, APC, Plateau South, was the first item the senators discussed during the executive session.
According to Akpabio, the purpose of the secret session was to give the senators a chance to review the proposed revisions and accompanying materials before continuing the legislative discussion of the measure.
According to Akpabio, the Senate has established a small committee to continue contributing, organize, and condense all of the renowned senators’ thoughts before presenting them to us on Tuesday for final discussion.
Highlights of some of the creative measures in the proposed Electoral Bill, 2025 that the senators discussed include a cap on election spending and a N50 million to N75 million fine for nomination offenses to discourage offenders, according to a document that was obtained.
Section 93 was revised on pages 80–81 to increase the costs associated with running for various electoral posts and to set a cap on those costs. Section 94 was amended on pages 82–83 to regulate political party election expenses.
Buying and selling voter cards is another offense that carries a punishment ranging from N500,000 to N5 million, as well as a 10-year prohibition from running for office in Nigeria.
In order to discourage those who commit nomination-related offenses, Section 120(2) on page 115 was revised to enhance the penalty from N50 million to N75 million.
In order to ensure that illegal immigrants are registered in the continuous registration process, section 10 of the bill was altered on page 9 of the report to include a new paragraph titled “(c) National Identification Number, NIN.”
“List of candidates and their affidavits by political parties,” the report stated. Subsections (7) and (9) were added to section 29 on page 27 as follows:
“A candidate who presents himself to a political party without meeting the requirements outlined in this section commits a crime and faces a minimum fine of N5 million upon conviction.
“Ballot paper format.” Section 42(3) was revised on page 35 to extend the time frame for a party to verify its identity on samples of pertinent electoral documents submitted for an election from 20 to 60 days.
“Polling Agents. Section 43, now Section 42, was changed on page 36 to allow candidates to designate polling agents. “Each candidate may designate a polling agent for each polling place and collation center in the Local Government Area or Area Council for which it has a candidate and the notice, after consulting with his political party and sending a written notice to the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner.”
