The Senate has urged the President to remove CAC Registrar-General Husaini Magaji over repeated failure to appear before lawmakers.
The Senate will on Tuesday resume consideration of the contentious Electoral Act amendment bill, moving to wrap up a process that has drawn sharp public criticism over delays widely seen as a threat to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
It was gathered that the upper chamber plans to conclude work on the bill and transmit it this week, following the inauguration of a seven-member ad hoc committee tasked with harmonising senators’ positions and resolving grey areas in the proposed law.
The committee was constituted last Thursday after a three-hour closed-door executive session in which lawmakers subjected the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill to further scrutiny.
Given a maximum of three days to complete its assignment, the panel is expected to submit its report today (Tuesday), paving the way for renewed deliberation on the Senate floor.
Announcing the decision, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the committee was set up to synthesise lawmakers’ views and address concerns raised during plenary debates.
The panel is chaired by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Niyi Adegbonmire. Other members are Adamu Aliero, Aminu Tambuwal, Adams Oshiomhole, Danjuma Goje, Tony Nwoye and Titus Zam.
Akpabio stressed that the tight timeline was deliberate, saying the committee must submit its report by Tuesday to allow the Senate resume consideration of the bill.
Although the House of Representatives has already passed the legislation, the Senate President said the upper chamber must exercise due diligence before concurrence.
“This is a very important bill, especially as it is election time. We must take our time to ensure justice is done to all, so that we do not end up at the tribunal,” Akpabio said.
A report by the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters noted that a clause-by-clause review of the bill showed the proposed amendments would strengthen electoral integrity, enhance transparency and boost public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The committee recommended the passage of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2025, as amended, arguing that the reforms would expand voter participation, curb electoral malpractice and strengthen the institutional capacity of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Earlier, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele described the bill as a major reform package aimed at improving electoral credibility and safeguarding institutional independence.
According to him, the proposed law introduces stiffer sanctions for offences such as vote-buying, including fines of up to N5m, a two-year jail term and a 10-year ban from contesting elections.
The bill also prescribes tougher penalties for result falsification and obstruction of election officials, mandates the electronic transmission of polling unit results, and introduces electronically generated voter identification, including a downloadable voter card with a unique QR code.
Bamidele added that the legislation recognises the voting rights of inmates, mandates INEC to register eligible prisoners, standardises delegates for indirect party primaries, and requires the release of election funds at least one year before polling day.
He said the reforms are designed to guarantee credible, transparent and secure elections beginning with the 2027 general polls, subject to approval by at least two-thirds of state Houses of Assembly, in line with constitutional provisions.
The Senate’s renewed push comes amid sustained pressure from legal experts, opposition parties and civil society organisations, who have accused the National Assembly of foot-dragging on critical electoral reforms.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, last week criticised the repeated postponement of the bill’s passage, warning that continued delays could seriously undermine the integrity of the 2027 elections.
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