The House of Representatives has moved to reconcile differences with the Senate on the amended Electoral Act, setting the stage for a coordinated legislative framework ahead of the 2027 general elections.
A conference committee has been constituted to engage with its Senate counterpart to harmonise conflicting provisions of the law.
The House passed the Electoral Act on December 23, 2025, endorsing measures aimed at improving transparency and efficiency in elections.
Among the key provisions was the electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Results Viewing Portal (IREV), to occur simultaneously with physical collation.
However, the Senate, in its deliberations on Wednesday, introduced significant changes. Notably, it reduced the period for the issuance of the electoral timetable from 360 days to 180 days, and rejected the House’s proposal for mandatory electronic transmission, preferring to retain the 2022 arrangement that allows INEC discretion in determining the mode of results transmission.
The divergence between the two chambers underscores the complexity of electoral reform in Nigeria, balancing the desire for modernization with concerns about security, feasibility, and administrative readiness.
Lawmakers hope the conference committee will bridge these differences and produce a unified act that will guide the nation’s next general elections.
