Senate sets date to finalize electoral act amendment

The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has assured Nigerians that the ongoing amendment to the Electoral Act 2022 will be completed on or before December 2025, well ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, gave the assurance in a statement issued on Tuesday after Senate President Godswill Akpabio read a letter from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu requesting the confirmation of Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

President Tinubu nominated Prof. Amupitan following the unanimous approval of the Council of State last week, which came after the exit of former INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

In his statement, Bamidele clarified that the previous administration under former President Muhammadu Buhari could not sign the final phase of the Electoral Act amendment in 2022 because the National Assembly transmitted it too close to the general elections.

“Before then, we had sent the first version of the amendment, which was signed into law.

“However, after discovering that some statutory delegates were disenfranchised, the National Assembly sought to correct the error.

“But the then President felt the bill came too close to the election period and feared that signing it might be misinterpreted by the public,” Bamidele explained.

He added that the current National Assembly is determined to avoid a repeat of that scenario.

“Between now and December 2025, we will ensure that the amendment of the Electoral Act, 2022 is concluded, so that it will not be too close to the 2027 elections,” he said.

Speaking further on the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Bamidele, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, expressed confidence that the process would succeed this time around.

He attributed this optimism to the active involvement of key stakeholders, including the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, who are being engaged meaningfully in the process to reflect overriding public interests.

Bamidele also dismissed claims that the presidency might oppose the constitutional review, stressing that both the executive and legislative arms are united in strengthening Nigeria’s democratic institutions through transparent and inclusive reforms.