The Senate has rejected a proposed 10-year jail term for buyers and sellers of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), opting instead to retain a two-year imprisonment term while increasing the fine from ₦2 million to ₦5 million under Clause 22 of the Electoral Amendment Bill.
The decision was taken during clause-by-clause consideration of the bill, where lawmakers also adjusted key electoral timelines. Under Clause 28, the Senate reduced the notice of election period from 360 days to 180 days before polling day.
In Clause 29, the chamber shortened the deadline for political parties to submit candidates’ lists and affidavits from 180 days to 90 days before a general election, requiring that nominees must emerge from valid party primaries.
The Senate also retained provisions in Clause 44 on ballot paper formats, directing INEC to invite parties not later than 20 days before an election to inspect samples of electoral materials, with parties given two days to approve or reject how their identities appear.
Under Clause 47, lawmakers replaced smart card readers with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for accreditation and voting, but rejected electronically generated voter identification, adopting the Permanent Voter’s Card as the mode of identification at polling units.
Meanwhile, the Senate struck out Clause 142 on the effect of non-compliance, arguing that the provision could waste judicial time by limiting the need for oral evidence in election petitions.
For the bill to become law, the Senate and House of Representatives must harmonise their versions and transmit it to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Separately, the Labour Party, a Turaki-led faction of the PDP, former PDP Deputy National Chairman Chief Olabode George, and APGA founder Chief Chekwas Okorie criticised the Senate over its rejection of electronic transmission of election results.
