The House of Representatives has passed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, through Third Reading, ahead of the 2027 general election.
A major highlight of the approved bill is the prescription of a 10-year jail term or a fine of N75 million for anyone found guilty of forging nomination papers or result forms, or wilfully defacing or destroying election-related documents.
Speaking during a media chat after the passage of the bill on Thursday, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Hon. Adebayo Balogun, assured that the joint Senate and House Committees on Electoral Matters would harmonise the report and ensure its transmission to the Presidency for assent by the second week of January 2026.
Key among the resolutions is that in cases of over-voting, as contained in Clause 51(2), the Presiding Officer shall deduct the excess votes proportionately from the votes of all participating political parties and shall be liable to prosecution.
The House approved a 10-year jail term or a fine of N75 million for anyone found guilty of forging nomination papers or result forms, or destroying election-related documents.
During the consideration of the report, the lawmakers also approved an upward review of the fine from N50 million, as well as a fine of N5 million for the improper use of a voter’s card.
The lawmakers also rejected a recommendation seeking to impose a two-year jail term on individuals who financially or materially induce delegates to influence the outcome of party primaries, congresses or conventions. Members argued that such a provision could be abused by political opponents to witch-hunt candidates.
The House also deleted an existing provision that mandates the cancellation of votes and the conduct of a fresh election in polling units where over-voting is established.
Responding to inquiries, Hon. Balogun said:
“As committee members, we are up to the task. We intend to continue the job and create opportunities and time for this work to be concluded. Our target was actually to conclude everything before we went on this break, but because of some other factors, we couldn’t.
“But I can assure you that by the second week of January, it will be signed, because we will ensure that before we resume, we will have put up the conference committee and completed the harmonisation, which the Senate committee chairman is also well appreciated in this development.
“So, we are going to keep moving and keep doing the job until we ensure we conclude it before the second week of January.”
While responding to questions on some of the recommendations that were adopted, he said:
“There are some areas I held so dearly that couldn’t sail through: the issue of early voting and voting by inmates. These are positions I also held very dearly, but it’s a matter of the majority.”
While addressing the rationale behind the non-inclusion of Diaspora voting in the bill, Hon. Balogun said:
“You see, when it comes to Diaspora voting, there are some things that we ought to put in place first. In Nigeria today, our registration of NIN, I believe, is still about 30 per cent. That’s what you call a social security number in America. And anywhere you want to do Diaspora voting, you must be able to know who Nigerians are.
“So, I think it’s important to know who Nigerians are. And Diaspora is not just about America and Europe. It’s about Congo; it’s about the Republic of Benin. We have our people thronging in and out. You can’t even know who Nigerians are.
“So, when we are able to get our identity clear, I believe we’ll be able to say, okay, Nigerians abroad can vote, and it must be only Nigerians. Because people who live in the Republic of Benin, Congo, and some other African countries, some of them can claim to be Nigerians, and there’s no way you can actually differentiate.
“So, let’s ensure that we work on this identity issue, so that a Nigerian will know that, yes, I am a Nigerian, and the Nigerian government will also know that this is the number of Nigerians.”
While reacting to issues bordering on real-time transmission of election results from polling units and infrastructural challenges, Hon. Balogun, who expressed displeasure over the development, however expressed optimism that electoral officers would be able to navigate the challenges by adhering strictly to the provisions of the law.
“You see, even in Abuja here, there are problems with transmission when it comes to service. There are a lot of dropped calls, even in Abuja and Lagos. So, what the presiding officer is expected to do is to snap and send. Whenever you get to where there is service, you send it.
“I’ve been trying to send a message for about 15 minutes now, and my SMS wasn’t going. But when I moved outside the hall, it went. So, you will have such lapses, but the issue is that you must send at the polling unit. People must see you send it.
“So, once you send it, and once you get to the ward level or move the machine to the LGA level, at least you must have service and the information. That is the last step. We do have a lot to learn in this area. There are a lot of problems in that aspect. That is what we are actually propagating: once you have sent it, you have done your own part, and that is real time.”
The lawmakers resumed deliberations on the report of the Committee on Electoral Matters on a bill seeking to amend the Electoral Act, 2022, ahead of the next general election.
While the committee initially recommended that all votes be cancelled in cases of over-voting, many lawmakers objected, proposing instead that excess votes be deducted proportionately from all participating political parties.
Some of the lawmakers who made inputs into the bill include the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda; Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante; and Hon. Sada Soli.
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