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Says amendment will guide 2027 elections
From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, has assured that the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act, 2022, will be completed before December 2025 to ensure its full implementation in the 2027 general elections.
Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, gave the assurance on Tuesday shortly after the Senate President Godswill Akpabio read a letter from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu seeking the confirmation of Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN) as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
President Tinubu’s request followed the unanimous endorsement of Amupitan’s nomination by the Council of State last week after the exit of former INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
In a statement released in Abuja, Bamidele explained that the National Assembly was determined to avoid a repeat of what happened under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, when the final phase of the Electoral Act amendment could not be signed into law due to late transmission.
He said: “Before then, we had made our first proposal. We sent the bill to the then president, and it was signed. When further observations were made, especially when certain people were disenfranchised as statutory delegates and the National Assembly wanted to make corrections, late former President Muhammadu Buhari said the bill was coming too close to election.
“And late President Buhari then observed that he did not want to be misunderstood by the public. That is why the bill was not signed then. 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.”
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Bamidele, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, noted that the ongoing constitutional review process was enjoying unprecedented collaboration with key stakeholders, including the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) and the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures.
He dismissed claims that the Presidency might frustrate the process, saying both arms of government were aligned in their commitment to national reform.
“I do not envisage that there will be any resistance because public institutions are working with the National Assembly for the successful review of the 1999 Constitution. In this amendment, global best practices will also be taken into consideration in the area of domestication of international treaties and agreements,” he stated.
Addressing criticism from opposition parties, the Senate Leader said such reactions were expected in a democracy, but insisted that the focus of the ruling party remained on governance and national stability.
He said: “No matter how well a government is performing, the opposition will never agree that the government is doing well because they too are plotting to reclaim the presidency. Part of what they will love to see is to see the ruling party fighting on a daily basis, throwing out correspondences from the presidency or whatever is coming from the executive. That is what will make them happy. But our focus is on rebuilding Nigeria, stabilising our polity, and growing our economy. And we will never be distracted from this goal.”
On the broader legislative agenda for the 10th Senate’s third legislative year, Bamidele outlined key priorities, including the Electoral Act amendment, the ongoing constitutional review, and other major policy interventions.
“The National Assembly has a lot of issues to deal with in this session, ranging from the amendment of the 2022 Electoral Act to the review of the 1999 Constitution, among others,” he said.
