Amid growing public criticism over recent amendments to the Electoral Act, Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has clarified that the bill is still undergoing legislative processes and has not reached its final stage.
Akpabio spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the presentation of a book titled The Burden of Legislators in Nigeria, written by former lawmaker, Effiong Bob, following the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill earlier in the week.
The Senate approved the bill on Wednesday, introducing changes to electoral timelines, provisions allowing voters to retrieve missing or unissued Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs), and rejecting a proposed 10-year jail term for the buying and selling of PVCs. Amendments were also made to clauses on the transmission of election results.
The decision has since drawn criticism from civil society groups, opposition parties, and members of the public, who argue that the amendments could undermine electoral transparency.
Responding, Akpabio said the legislative process was not complete and that several procedural stages remain before the bill can be forwarded to the President for assent.
He dismissed claims that the Senate had rejected electronic transmission of election results, explaining that differences between the Senate and House versions would be resolved by a harmonisation committee after senators review and approve the official votes and proceedings.
Akpabio added that the Senate only removed provisions making electronic transmission mandatory, noting that the term “real-time” was dropped to avoid legal disputes arising from possible network or technical failures.
He said the decision on how results are transmitted should be left to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and assured Nigerians that the final law would reflect the national interest.
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