Nigeria’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the country’s National Assembly, was thrown into confusion and loud disagreement on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, during a plenary session in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria.
The session, presided over by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Tajudeen Abbas, began with limited attendance. The only item listed on the day’s Order Paper was a motion seeking to rescind, meaning withdraw, the earlier decision on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, 2025.
The motion was moved by Mr Francis Waive, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, and was seconded by Mr Adebayo Balogun, Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters.
In his remarks, Waive explained that a Technical Committee made up of leaders from both chambers of the National Assembly, members of the Conference Committee, the Clerks of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and legal drafting experts from the Directorate of Legal Services of the National Assembly had met to address what he described as inconsistencies in the proposed law.
He said, “The House is aware that a Technical Committee comprising the leadership of both chambers, members of the Conference Committee, the Clerks of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and legal drafting experts from the Directorate of Legal Services of the National Assembly met to harmonise and address the identified anomalies.
“We recognise the imperative of ensuring electoral timelines and statutory provisions, promoting maximum participation, fairness, inclusivity, administrative efficiency, and public confidence in the electoral system.
“Desirous of correcting the identified inconsistencies and unintended consequences through appropriate legislative action in order to safeguard the integrity of the electoral framework, the House resolved to rescind the decision on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and recommit the same to the Committee of the Whole for consideration.”
The Electoral Act governs how elections are conducted in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country. Changes to the law are significant because they directly affect how future presidential, parliamentary, and state elections will be organised.
When Speaker Abbas called for a voice vote on the motion, many lawmakers responded with “nay.” However, he proceeded to count the fewer voices that responded with “aye.” This move triggered protests from members of the minority caucus, who argued that the majority had voted against the motion.
Tensions escalated further when a lawmaker from Jigawa State in northwestern Nigeria, Mr Abubakar Yalleman, was seen pointing at his colleague from Osun State in southwestern Nigeria, Mr Bamidele Salam. The details of their exchange were not immediately clear.
As the atmosphere became increasingly tense, the House moved into a closed-door executive session. At the time this report was filed, lawmakers had not returned to the open plenary.
A member of the House, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that there were efforts to alter the version of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill already passed by the chamber.
“They have doctored the Electoral Act, but whatever they brought here will not be considered. Members are angry,” the lawmaker said.
Okay News reports that both chambers of Nigeria’s National Assembly had earlier set up conference committees to reconcile differences between their respective versions of the amendment bill.
The House of Representatives had approved real-time electronic transmission of election results. The Senate, the upper chamber of the National Assembly, supported electronic transmission but added that manual transmission could be used if real-time electronic transmission failed.
The disagreement over these provisions has become one of the central issues in the amendment process. The outcome of the ongoing deliberations is expected to shape the legal framework for Nigeria’s next general elections.
