The Nigerian Senate has passed the proposed Electoral Act, 2022, ahead of the impending 2027 general elections.
The legislators were divided following a heated debate on the approval of the new legislation with some of the members opposing the proviso, after which 60 of them were picked, resulting in 55 of them supporting, while a meagre 15 were against, hence paving way for the approval of the bill.
Earlier at the plenary on Tuesday, Abia State South lawmaker, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, insisted that the disputed section should be reopened after which senior Senate figures countered that prior decisions could not be revisited without breaching established parliamentary procedure.
The sitting unfolded with the chamber’s president, Godswill Akpabio, asserting that the request for division had been withdrawn before opposition senators rejected the interpretation in the plenary.
Deputy President, Jibrin Barau, citing the Order 52(6), held that it would be improper to reconsider any matter already decided, a position which caused an uproar and a face-off between the legislators.
However, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, who sponsored the bill, held that the earlier resolutions were no longer binding, adding that Abaribe’s demand aligned with the framework of the motion.
Akpabio then opted for a formal application after which Abaribe sought for a vote on a clause focusing on the rule that if electronic transmission fails, Form EC8A should not stand alone.
