The Senate has appointed a 12-member conference committee to harmonise differences with the House of Representatives on the Electoral Amendment Act, following widespread controversy over recent changes to the bill.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the committee on Tuesday during an emergency plenary session, naming Senator Simon Lalong as chairman.
Other members are Senators Orji Uzor Kalu, Tahir Monguno, Adamu Aliero, Abba Moro, Asuquo Ekpenyong, Aminu Iya Abbas, Tokunbo Abiru, Niyi Adegbonmire (SAN), Jibrin Isah, Ipalibo Banigo, and Onyekachi Nwebonyi.
Akpabio said the committee’s size was increased from nine to 12 after consultations with Senate leadership, stressing the urgency of its assignment.
“This is a matter of urgency. If you conclude within the next few days or one week, the President should be able to sign the amended Electoral Bill into law within February,” he said.
He added that the committee’s report would be transmitted promptly to President Bola Tinubu for assent, before formally constituting the panel.
The development follows a tense plenary session in which lawmakers clashed over moves to rescind the Senate’s earlier approval of Clause 60(3) of the bill.
The controversy was triggered when Senate Chief Whip Tahir Monguno raised a point of order seeking to amend the clause by removing the phrase “real-time” and replacing “transmission” with “transfer,” a move that drew strong objections from several senators.
According to the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters’ report, Clause 60(3) provides for the real-time electronic transmission of polling unit results to the INEC Results Viewing (IREV) portal, a provision at the centre of the ongoing dispute.
