Hadiza Galadima
A Tuesday plenary session led by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas descended into chaos after a motion was moved to rescind and reconsider the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025.
The Rules and Business Chair, Francis Waive, sought to recommit the bill to a “Committee of the Whole” to fix technical “anomalies.”
Despite a loud “Nay” vote from the majority, Speaker Abbas ruled in favor of the “Ayes,” sparking immediate outrage and shouting matches between lawmakers.
Minority members claim the bill was “doctored” to alter the version already passed by the House specifically regarding the House’s push for real-time electronic transmission of results versus the Senate’s manual backup preference.
The session was suspended for an emergency closed-door meeting to de-escalate the tension.
