The House of Representatives has set up a bipartisan conference committee to reconcile differences between the versions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill passed by both chambers of the National Assembly.
The move follows separate approvals of the bill by the House and the Senate, with lawmakers now seeking a unified version after key provisions became points of contention during deliberations.
Major variations include timelines for releasing the election schedule and the framework for transmitting results, issues legislators say must be harmonized before the National Assembly can finalize the bill.
The House had endorsed the bill on December 23, 2025, supporting the electronic upload of polling unit results to the IREV platform alongside manual collation. In contrast, the Senate, on Wednesday, amended several sections, including shortening the timetable notice period from 360 days to 180 days and retaining the 2022 rule allowing INEC to determine transmission methods.
In a statement on Thursday, House spokesperson Akintunde Rotimi said the reconciliation panel was constituted in line with parliamentary rules governing the settlement of differences in bills approved by both chambers, describing it as a standard step in legislative coordination.
He noted that the directive was conveyed in an internal memo dated Wednesday, February 4, 2026, signed by the Clerk to the House, Yahaya Danzaria, listing members led by Electoral Matters Committee Chairman Adebayo Balogun, alongside Fred Agbedi, Sada Soli, Ahmadu Jaha, Iduma Igariwey Enwo, Saidu Musa Abdullahi, and Zainab Gimba.
Rotimi added that the “Committee is mandated to confer with its counterpart from the Senate with a view to harmonizing the differing provisions of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill as passed by both chambers, ahead of final passage by the National Assembly.”
He emphasized that “The House of Representatives reiterates its commitment to advancing electoral reforms that strengthen transparency, credibility, and public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.”
