While many Nigerians are distracted by political defections, insecurity, or the first whispers of 2027 election campaign preparations, a far more serious problem is quietly unfolding in Abuja.
Development Diaries reports that the Senate has stalled the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, a reform already passed by the House of Representatives, and in doing so is placing the credibility of the 2027 general election at risk.
This is a governance failure, with very real consequences for anyone who plans to vote.
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has warned that the failure of the National Assembly to conclude passage of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill could jeopardise preparations for the 2027 general election.
What system is failing?
The electoral governance system, specifically the legislative framework that regulates how Nigerians vote, how results are transmitted, and how electoral offences are punished.
Elections do not fail only on the day people cast their ballots; they fail upstream, when the laws governing votes, result transmission, and electoral offences are unclear, outdated, or deliberately left incomplete.
Nigeria experienced this firsthand in 2023, when gaps in the Electoral Act made it difficult to enforce electronic results transmission and almost impossible to hold perpetrators accountable. The current amendment bill is designed to fix those exact failures, but it is now caught in legislative limbo.
Why is this happening?
The House of Representatives passed the bill back in December 2025, and the Senate even managed a second reading in October 2025, but procedural excuses and a long recess left the bill stranded.
Electoral reform is time-sensitive, so every month lost narrows the window for proper implementation. Second, weak accountability incentives are at play; delays protect those who benefit from ambiguity, weak sanctions, and contested outcomes.
Third, statutory timelines are being ignored, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is required to issue election notices at least 360 days before polls, and any delay in amending the law shortens preparation time, risking rushed guidelines and legal chaos.
The Senate leadership must be called out for failing to prioritise the bill. The Senate Committee on Electoral Matters let procedural technicalities override constitutional urgency, and the National Assembly appears to be treating electoral reform as optional rather than foundational.
Furthermore, electoral failure is also a rights issue. The right to vote is guaranteed under Nigeria’s constitution and reinforced by ECOWAS protocols.
When electoral laws are unclear, women, persons with disabilities, rural communities, and young voters suffer the most. Delays in reform create procedural loopholes that make elections feel predetermined, weaken public trust, and deepen inequality.
Ordinary Nigerians cannot remain passive. Demand clear timelines from the Senate for completing the bill, contact your senators and committee members to ask where they stand.
Ask the Senate to stop dragging its feet and immediately reconvene to pass the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, ensuring it aligns fully with the version already approved by the House of Representatives.
At the same time, you should ask that INEC continue to insist on legal clarity and certainty, resisting any pressure to improvise or bend the rules where the law remains unclear, so that elections are conducted fairly and transparently.
Civil society, student unions, women’s groups, and disability rights organisations must link electoral reform to inclusion and fairness.
