Akpabio Mentions When Tinubu Will Sign Amended Electoral Bill
- Senate President Akpabio announced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's expected signing of the amended Electoral Act in February 2026
- A committee was formed to harmonise the Electoral Bill after backlash against recent amendments and rejection of electronic transmission
- The Senate reversed the decision on electronic transmission, now omitting the 'real-time' requirement for election results collation
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, governance and public affairs in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - Senate President Godswill Akpabio has said President Bola Tinubu is expected to sign the amended Electoral Act into law in February 2026.
As reported by Channels TV, Akpabio said this on Tuesday, February 10, during an emergency plenary session where the federal lawmakers constituted a committee to harmonise its version of the bill with the one passed by the House of Representatives amid the backlash triggered by some amendments to the Act.
Source: Twitter
Tinubu to sign Electoral Bill
The National Assembly Library Trust Fund (NALTF) also noted Akpabio's statement.
The senate president said:
“I believe that if you are able to conclude within this, in the next few days or one week, the president should be able to sign this amended Electoral Bill into an Act of Parliament within this month of February. So I wish you a worthy deliberation with your colleagues.”
He told the Senate that the 12-member committee will work with the House of Representatives to harmonise the versions of the bills passed by both chambers.
Akpabio asked the committee to take the work as a “matter of urgency”.
The Nigerian No.3 citizen said:
“The conference committee, when you meet, you should recognise that this is a matter of urgency."
Furthermore, Akpabio stated that the expansion of the committee followed “consultation with the leadership” and in a bid to be “together with our colleagues in the House of Representatives.”
Source: UGC
Legit.ng reports that Tuesday’s session followed a backlash over the passage of the Electoral Act.
Not long ago, the Senate rejected proposals for the real-time electronic transmission of election results as contained in Clause 60 (3). But it retained the portion in the 2022 Act that equips the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to decide the mode of transmission.
Opposition leaders criticised the move, arguing that it would undermine Nigeria’s democracy, and they staged protests at the National Assembly. However, on Tuesday, February 10, the Senate reversed its decision and approved electronic transmission, omitting the ‘real-time’ requirement. The bill now specifies that if internet connectivity fails, Form EC8A will remain the primary instrument for collating results.
Read more on Nigeria's Senate:
- PDP chieftain reacts to Senate's alleged removal of compulsory e-transmission of election results
- PDP, ADC and NNPP reject Senate’s move against mandatory electronic transmission of election results
Group slams Senate's Electoral Act amendment bill
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that a leading civil society organisation, AdvoKC Foundation, condemned the Senate’s passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026, describing it as a betrayal of public trust and a serious setback for democratic reform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement, AdvoKC Foundation said the version of the bill approved by the Senate 'fails to address the glaring weaknesses exposed in Nigeria’s electoral system during the 2023 elections and threatens to weaken transparency and credibility in future polls.'
Source: Legit.ng
