The Senate on Thursday suspended further consideration of a bill seeking to repeal the Electoral Act 2022 and enact a new Electoral Act 2025, following concerns that lawmakers needed more time for wider consultations and a deeper understanding of its provisions.
The decision came after the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti), moved a motion to stand down deliberations, which was seconded by Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue).
The motion was adopted at plenary.
Bamidele said it was not an auspicious time for the upper chamber to proceed into an executive session on such a far-reaching bill.
He explained that “there is a need for further consultations on the bill before proceeding further,” stressing that senators must first grasp the “general principles and details” before taking a position.
The bill, presented earlier by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Lalong (APC, Plateau), seeks to overhaul Nigeria’s electoral system through what he described as a “comprehensive reform, repeal and enactment” — not a mere amendment.
Lalong acknowledged that while the 2022 Electoral Act produced some landmark results and innovations, it also exposed deep flaws in the nation’s electoral process.
These, he said, included “critical gaps, delays in the release of election funds, disputes over voter register, conflicting interpretations of result transmission as well as widespread litigations from party primaries and weak enforcement of electoral offences.”
He told lawmakers that Nigerians expect “not mere corrections, but a holistic law that would restore faith in the country’s elections.”
The proposed legislation, according to him, aims to strengthen INEC’s independence, ensure transparency, and introduce digital reforms such as continuous voter registration, electronic transmission of results, and digital registers with QR codes.
“It sets stricter timelines and clearer rules for party primaries, candidate nomination and replacement in cases of death or withdrawal,” Lalong said, adding that if enacted, the bill would “restore public trust, reduce post-election disputes and empower INEC to function without interference.”
The standing down of the debate is expected to give senators time to engage stakeholders before the bill returns for further consideration at a later date.
