The Senate and House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the Electoral Act amendment bill.

The lower legislative chamber however recorded rowdy sessions as opposition lawmakers staged a walkout chanting “APC, ole” (thief) to protest the passage.

The lawmakers favoured mandatory real-time transmission of poll results on INEC’s result viewing portal (IReV).

“They have collected money!” shouted one of the lawmakers whose face the camera did not capture.

The House earlier passed the bill in December 2025 but reconsidered provisions mandating the real-time electronic transmission of poll results.

Presidential aide Sunday Dare on TV hinted at Mr Tinubu’s unlikeliness to assent such a bill over what he noted as the nation’s limited Internet infrastructure to handle nationwide transmission of results in real-time.

On Tuesday, Francis Waive, an APC member representing Ughelli North/South/Udu federal constituency in Delta State, presented the motion.

Mr Abbas then put the motion to a voice vote in which thunderous “nays” overshadowed the “ayes”. But the Speaker ruled in favour of the ayes, sparking an uproar among lawmakers who raised their voices in objection.

Mr Abbas dismissed his colleagues’ objections to propose an executive session for a closed-door hearing. At this point, the lawmakers could not be appeased. The chambers turned rowdy with members shouting angrily to express their disapproval.

Again, Mr Abbas ignored the chaos and moved the House into executive session, sparking more protests from the lawmakers, as some stood from their seats to walk out of the chambers.

The Spokesperson for the House, Akin Rotimi who described the passage as historic, said that it had nothing to do with political party membership.

“Yes, the opposition staged a walk out but it is on record that some of the opposition stayed back and voted for the passage,” he said.

The spokesperson said the decision of the house was for the progress of Nigeria.

According to him, if there are issues with electronically transmitting the results, then it will go manual.

He explained that there was no confusion in the amendment but a response to the yearnings of Nigerians.

Mr Rotimi, however, expressed confidence in the country’s democratisation process, saying that the division in the house is the beauty of democracy.(

Also, the Senate passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026 following arguments over Clause 60 raised by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, however, doused the tension after stating that he believed the demand had previously been withdrawn. But several opposition senators immediately objected his claim.

Citing Order 52(6), the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, argued that it would be out of order to revisit any provision on which the senate president had already ruled.

Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, reminded lawmakers that he had sponsored the motion for rescission, underscoring that decisions previously taken by the Senate were no longer valid. He maintained that, consistent with his motion, Mr Abaribe’s demand was in line.

The senate president sustained the point of order, after which Mr Abaribe rose in protest and was urged to formally move his motion.

Rising under Order 72(1), Mr Abaribe called for a division on Clause 60(3), specifically concerning the provision that if electronic transmission of results fails, Form EC8A should not serve as the sole basis, calling for the removal of the proviso that allows for manual transmission of results in the event of network failure.

Mr Akpabio directed senators who supported the caveat to rise. After they were counted, he further asked lawmakers who oppose the caveat to also rise, and they were numbered.

Only 15 senators opposed the caveat, while 55 senators voted in support of it.

Concerns over the timing of the 2027 general elections and technical inconsistencies in the legislation were also raised.

Rising under Order 52(6) of the Senate Standing Orders, the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, moved the motion to reverse the earlier passage of the bill and return it to the senate committee for fresh deliberations.

He explained that the development followed the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of a timetable fixing the 2027 general elections for February 2027, after consultations with the leadership of the National Assembly.

He noted that some individuals had raised concerns that the proposed date conflicts with the provisions of the amended law, particularly the requirement that elections be scheduled not later than 360 days before the expiration of tenure.

He further noted that upon critical review of the passed bill, the 360-day notice requirement prescribed in Clause 28 could result in the scheduling of the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections during the Ramadan period.

According to him, holding elections during Ramadan can negatively affect voter turnout, logistical coordination, stakeholder participation, and the overall inclusiveness and credibility of the electoral process.