Nigerian Senate Revisits Electoral Act Bill — 17 February 2026
On Tuesday, 17th February 2026, the Nigerian Senate's main business was a motion to reverse and reopen its own earlier decision on the new Electoral Act bill. The move was triggered by concerns that a 360-day election notice rule in the bill could push the 2027 presidential election into the Ramadan period, and by the discovery of errors in over 20 clauses of the legislation.
The Nigerian Senate sat on Tuesday, 17th February 2026, with one major item on its Order of the Day: a Motion for Rescission and Re-Committal of the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2026.
The Senate Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), sponsored the motion. It asked the Senate to cancel its earlier passage of the bill and send it back to the Committee of the Whole — meaning the full Senate sitting as one big committee — for fresh review and corrections.
Two main problems were cited. First, a clause requiring 360 days' notice before elections could cause the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections to fall during Ramadan, which lawmakers said could reduce voter turnout and create logistical difficulties. Second, a technical review found errors and inconsistencies across more than 20 specific clauses of the bill, including problems with cross-referencing, serial numbering, and the bill's Long Title.
A Technical Committee made up of leadership from both the Senate and House of Representatives, alongside legal drafting experts, had already met to identify these problems before the motion was brought forward.
The Senate also scheduled a series of budget defence and investigative committee meetings running from 17th February through 25th–26th February 2026, covering areas including Interior, Power, Defence, Appropriations, Aviation, and an inquiry into the Safe Schools Initiative Programme.
