The Senate has amended Clause 28 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, slashing the notice of election requirements by 60 days, from 360 days to 300, leaving INEC with the flexibility to fix the election dates between December 2026 and January 2027.

The amended clause 28 states that “the Commission shall, not later than 300 days before the day appointed for holding of an election under this Bill, publish a notice in each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory – stating the date of the election; and (b) appointing the place at which nomination papers are to be delivered”.

The amendment was effected on Tuesday during the clause-by-clause consideration of the reworked Electoral Act Amendment bill after the Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele raised a motion on the Rescission and Re-Committal of the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026.

Opeyemi underscored that upon critical review of the passed bill, the 360-day notice requirement prescribed in Clause 28 could result in the scheduling of the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections during the Ramadan period.

According to him, holding elections during Ramadan could negatively affect voter turnout, logistical coordination, stakeholder participation, and the overall inclusiveness and credibility of the electoral process.

The motion also highlighted discrepancies discovered in the Long Title and several clauses of the bill, including Clauses 6, 9, 10, 22, 23, 28, 29, 32, 42, 47, 51, 60, 62, 64, 65, 73, 77, 86, 87, 89, 93, and 143. The identified issues reportedly affected cross-referencing, serial numbering, and internal consistency within the legislation.

Earlier, proceedings in the Senate were momentarily stalled as lawmakers began clause-by-clause consideration of the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026, following a motion to rescind the earlier amendment.

The motion to rescind the bill was formally seconded, paving the way for the upper chamber to dissolve into the committee of the whole for detailed reconsideration and reenactment of the proposed legislation.

During the session, Senate President Godswill Akpabio reeled out the clauses one after the other for deliberation.

However, the process stalled when at Clause 60, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Action Democratic Congress/Abia South), raised a point of order, drawing immediate attention on the floor.

The Senate President Godswill Akpabio stated that he believed the demand had previously been withdrawn, but several opposition senators immediately objected to that claim.

Citing Order 52(6), the Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau argued that it would be out of order to revisit any provision on which the Senate President had already ruled.

This submission sparked another uproar in the chamber, during which Senator Sunday Karimi had a brief face-off with Abaribe.

The Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, then reminded lawmakers that he had sponsored the motion for rescission, underscoring that decisions previously taken by the Senate are no longer valid.

He maintained that, consistent with his motion, Abaribe’s demand was in line.

Akpabio further suggested that the call for division was merely an attempt by Senator Abaribe to publicly demonstrate his stance to Nigerians.

The senate president sustained the point of order, after which Abaribe rose in protest and was urged to formally move his motion.

Rising under Order 72(1), Abaribe called for a division on Clause 60(3), specifically concerning the provision that if electronic transmission of results fails, Form EC8A should not serve as the sole basis, calling for the removal of the proviso that allows for manual transmission of results in the event of network failure.

During the division, Akpabio directed senators who supported the caveat to stand. He then asked those opposed to the caveat to rise.

Fifteen opposition senators stood in opposition.

However, when the votes were counted, the Senate President announced that 15 senators were not in support of the proviso, while 55 senators voted in support of it.