By Admin
President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the amended Electoral Bill into law before the end of February.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio disclosed this during an emergency plenary session of the Senate, where a 12-member conference committee was constituted to harmonise the Senate’s version of the bill with that of the House of Representatives.
He urged the committee to treat the assignment as a matter of urgency, expressing confidence that once harmonisation is concluded within days, the President would assent to the bill this month.
The development follows public backlash over certain amendments to the Electoral Act.
Last week, the Senate had rejected a proposal for real-time electronic transmission of election results, retaining the provision that empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to determine the mode of transmission.
The decision drew criticism from opposition leaders and sparked protests at the National Assembly.
However, the Senate has now reversed its earlier position and approved electronic transmission of results, though without specifying the “real-time” clause.
It also maintained that in situations where internet connectivity fails, the Form EC8A will remain the primary instrument for collating election results.
Lawmakers say the harmonised bill will soon be forwarded to the President for assent.
