BREAKING: “They’ve Doctored the Electoral Act!” — Reps Clash in Heated House Plenary

Tension erupted in the House of Representatives on Tuesday as lawmakers clashed over the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, turning a routine plenary into a shouting match.

The disagreement dominated proceedings during a resumed sitting presided over by Speaker Dr Tajudeen Abbas. From the opening moments, it was clear the focus of the day would be the controversial attempt to revisit the Electoral Act.

Lawmakers were presented with a motion seeking to rescind the earlier passage of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

The proposal was introduced by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive, and backed by the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun.

In his submission, Waive explained that leaders of the National Assembly, alongside members of the conference committee, clerks of both chambers, and legal drafting experts, had met to review the bill.

According to him, the meeting was aimed at resolving anomalies and correcting provisions that could affect election timelines, participation, fairness, and public confidence in the electoral process.

He told the House that the decision to rescind the bill was driven by the need to fix inconsistencies and avoid unintended legal consequences before the legislation becomes operational.

Trouble started when the Speaker put the motion to a voice vote. A louder chorus of “nay” rang across the chamber, but the Speaker proceeded to count the few “ayes” in support of the motion. This immediately angered several lawmakers, especially members of the minority caucus, who insisted they had clearly carried the vote.

The chamber quickly descended into disorder. Lawmakers shouted over one another, while heated exchanges broke out across the floor. Jigawa lawmaker Abubakar Yalleman was seen gesturing angrily toward Osun lawmaker Bamidele Salam, adding to the tense atmosphere.

As the noise escalated, the Speaker ordered the House into a closed-door executive session. Lawmakers were still inside the meeting at the time this report was filed.

Outside the chamber, a member of the House, who spoke on condition of anonymity, accused unnamed forces of attempting to alter the bill already passed by lawmakers. The lawmaker warned that the House would resist any such move.

“They have doctored the Electoral Act, but whatever they brought here will not be considered. Members are angry,” the lawmaker said.

The controversy comes amid ongoing efforts by the National Assembly to harmonise differences between the versions of the Electoral Act passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives.