HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SETS UP CONFERENCE COMMITTEE TO HARMONISE ELECTORAL ACT AMENDMENT BILL
Read Time:1 Minute, 40 Second
By Aishat Momoh. O.
The House of Representatives has constituted a bipartisan Conference Committee on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill to reconcile differences between its version of the bill and that of the Senate, as part of efforts to advance electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to a statement on Thursday by House spokesman Akin Rotimi, the committee is tasked with harmonising provisions in the bill that differ between both chambers before the final passage by the National Assembly. The directive was conveyed in an internal correspondence dated Wednesday, February 4, 2026, from the Clerk to the House, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria.
The seven-member committee is chaired by Adebayo Balogun, Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters and Lagos lawmaker. Other members include Fred Agbedi, Sada Soli, Ahmadu Jaha, Iduma Igariwey, Saidu Abdullahi, and Zainab Gimba.
The panel is mandated to “confer with its counterpart from the Senate with a view to harmonising the differing provisions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill as passed by both Chambers,” the statement added.
PUNCH Online reports that the move follows months of legislative work on electoral reforms, driven by post-2023 election reviews and advocacy from civil society groups, political parties, and election observers. While both chambers agree on strengthening Nigeria’s electoral framework, their versions of the bill diverge on several key issues.
Contentious areas include the deployment of election technology, particularly the legal basis for electronic transmission of results, timelines for party primaries and submission of candidate lists to INEC, and the scope of INEC’s discretionary powers in regulating parties and enforcing compliance with electoral guidelines. Other debated clauses cover sanctions for electoral offences, sequencing of elections, and pre-election dispute resolution procedures.
The House reiterated its commitment to champion reforms that enhance transparency, credibility, and public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral processes as the 2027 general elections approach.
The conference committee represents a standard legislative mechanism to reconcile differences and produce a final, harmonised bill ready for Presidential assent.
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0