The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has assured Nigerians that the ongoing amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 will be completed before December to ensure its use in the 2027 general elections.
Bamidele (Ekiti Central) made the disclosure on Tuesday shortly after the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, read President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s letter seeking the confirmation of Professor Joash Amupitan as the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He said, “Before then, we had made our first proposal. We sent the bill to the then-President, and it was signed. When further observations were made, especially when certain people were disenfranchised as statutory delegates, the National Assembly wanted to make corrections.
“Late former President Muhammadu Buhari said the bill was coming too close to the election. And the late President then observed that he did not want to be misunderstood by the public. That is why the bill was not signed then.
“Between now and December 2025, we will ensure that the amendment of the Electoral Act 2022 is concluded so that it will not be too close to the 2027 elections.”
The Senate Leader stressed that the upper chamber is determined to correct existing anomalies in the law and strengthen the nation’s electoral system for future polls.
Speaking further, Bamidele, who also serves as the Vice Chairman of the 1999 Constitution Review Committee, assured that the ongoing constitutional review exercise will be successful given the active involvement of key stakeholders, including the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures.
Bamidele also dismissed criticisms from the opposition, insisting that the Senate’s focus remains on nation-building rather than political distractions.
