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…as lawmakers clash during tense sitting over move to revisit 2025 bill

By Gloria Ikibah

Proceedings in the House of Representatives descended into disorder on Tuesday as members clashed during a resumed plenary chaired by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.

The sitting, noticeably thin in attendance, quickly grew heated when the Speaker read the sole item listed on the Order Paper,  a motion seeking rescission of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

The motion was introduced by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Rep. Francis Waive, and seconded by the Chairman House Committee on Electoral Matters, Rep. Adebayo Balogun.

In pushing the proposal, Rep. Waive outlined that a technical panel comprising leaders from both chambers of the National Assembly, members of the Conference Committee, clerks from the Senate and the House, as well as legal drafting specialists from the Directorate of Legal Services, had convened to reconcile discrepancies and address identified inconsistencies within the bill.

Despite the explanation, the move triggered sharp reactions across the chamber, turning what had begun as a routine legislative exercise into a charged and fractious session.

He said: “We recognise the imperative of ensuring electoral timelines and statutory provisions, promoting maximum participation, fairness, inclusivity, administrative efficiency, and public confidence in the electoral system.

“Desirous of correcting the identified inconsistencies and unintended consequences through appropriate legislative action in order to safeguard the integrity of the electoral framework, the House resolved to rescind the decision on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and recommit the same to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.”

Tension escalated when Speaker Tajudeen Abbas put the motion to a voice vote. Although the louder response appeared to favour the nays, he proceeded to recognise the ayes, a move that immediately drew protests from members of the minority caucus who insisted they held the numbers in the chamber.

The disagreement quickly turned heated. At one point, Rep. Abubakar Yalleman was seen gesturing animatedly in the direction of his colleague from Osun State, Rep. Bamidele Salam, though the substance of their exchange was not immediately clear.

With tempers fraying and order increasingly difficult to maintain, the House retreated into a closed-door executive session. As of the time this report was filed, plenary had yet to resume.

In a separate development, a member who spoke privately alleged that there were moves to tamper with the version of the Electoral Act amendment previously approved by the House, maintaining that any attempt to alter the agreed text would be firmly resisted.

“They have doctored the Electoral Act, but whatever they brought here will not be considered. Members are angry,” the lawmaker said.

Naijablitznews.com recalled that the National Assembly had earlier constituted conference committees in both the Senate and House of Representatives to harmonise differences between their respective versions of the bill.

In its amendment, the House endorsed the use of real-time electronic transmission of election results. The Senate, however, adopted a slightly different position, approving the provision but allowing for manual transmission in situations where real-time electronic transfer proves unsuccessful.