NASS Conference Committee to Harmonise Electoral Bill Monday

Key Takeaways

• The National Assembly Conference Committee is set to meet Monday to reconcile differences in the Electoral Amendment Bill, particularly on electronic transmission of election results.
• Members of the Joint National Assembly Conference Committee are expected to meet on Monday to harmonise differences in the Electoral Amendment Bill passed separately by the Senate and the House of Representatives.The move is aimed at producing a single version of the bill for transmission to President Bola Tinubu for assent.Findings indicate that the committee has been given a one-week window to resolve contentious provisions, particularly those relating to the electronic transmission of election results.The harmonisation became necessary after both chambers passed differing versions of the bill.
• While the House approved real-time electronic transmission of results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal, IReV, the Senate version initially excluded the clause but later restored electronic transmission, allowing manual collation where technological failure occurs.A National Assembly source confirmed that the reconciliation meeting is scheduled for Monday, while some lawmakers said they were awaiting the committee’s final position on the disputed clauses.The amendment process follows controversies that trailed the 2023 general election, especially the failure to upload presidential results to IReV in real time.Civil society groups and opposition parties have called for clearer statutory backing for electronic transmission to enhance transparency ahead of the 2027 general election.Senate President Godswill Akpabio has indicated that the harmonised bill may be transmitted to the President before the end of the month.The outcome of Monday’s meeting is expected to determine the final shape of the amended Electoral Act and clarify the role of technology in Nigeria’s electoral process.