A mild tension hit the House of Representatives on Tuesday as some members rejected a motion seeking an amendment of electoral bill which mandated real-time electronic transmission of results
A mild tension erupted at the emergency sitting of the House of Representatives on Tuesday following the rejection of a motion seeking the rescission and recommittal of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2025.
The motion was moved after Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives, called on the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Rep. Francis Waive, to formally move the motion during plenary.
Moving the motion, Rep. Waive explained that the House had passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2025 on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, but that subsequent engagements revealed technical inconsistencies requiring legislative correction.
“I rise to move the motion for the rescission of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2025, pursuant to Order 906 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives,” Rep. Waive said.
He noted that a technical committee made up of the leadership of both chambers, members of the conference committee, the clerks of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and legal drafting experts from the Directorate of Legal Services of the National Assembly had met to harmonise the bill and address identified anomalies.
According to him, the aim was to ensure that the Electoral Act promotes electoral timeliness, maximum participation, fairness, inclusivity, administrative efficiency, and public confidence in the electoral system.
Waive added that the rescission would allow the House to correct “identified inconsistencies and unintended consequences” in order to safeguard the integrity of the electoral framework.
“The House therefore resolves to rescind its decision on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2025 and commit the bill to the Committee of the Whole for further consideration,” he added.
However, tension ensued when Speaker Abbas put the question for the adoption of the motion to a voice vote. Although the “nays” were audibly louder, the Speaker ruled in favour of the “ayes,” a decision that immediately provoked strong protests from members on the floor, who repeatedly shouted “No, no, no.”
The development forced the speaker to swiftly call for an executive session, suspending the open plenary.
Parliament Reports recalls that the Senate had earlier passed a re-amended version of the Electoral Act which approved electronic transmission of election results but stopped short of making real-time transmission mandatory.
The Senate version also introduced a caveat that in the event of network failure or glitches, Form EC8A would serve as the primary source of election results.
That position has since triggered widespread reactions and backlash from election experts, civil society organisations, and concerned Nigerians, many of whom are insisting that the harmonisation committee should retain the earlier version of Section 60(3) as amended and passed by the House of Representatives, which makes real-time electronic transmission mandatory.
The controversy underscores growing concerns over the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral reforms and the outcome of the ongoing harmonisation process.
