Index to Nigerian Newspapers

The House of Representatives has dismissed allegations that the National Assembly is deliberately stalling the consideration and passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, saying the proposed legislation is likely to be harmonised next week.The Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Mr Adebayo Balogun, said the delay was procedural rather than political, insisting that work on the bill was ongoing in both chambers of the National Assembly.Balogun, who represents Ibeju-Lekki Federal Constituency of Lagos State, rejected the suggestion of deliberate delay. Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH, he said legislative work on the bill was progressing and expressed optimism that the harmonisation stage would soon be completed.The Senate is in session, considering the bill. Hopefully, the harmonisation will be completed by next week,” Balogun said.Lawmakers spent about four and a half hours in an executive session deliberating on the report of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Senator Simon Lalong, alongside submissions from a seven-member ad hoc committee constituted last week to resolve contentious clauses in the bill.The leadership of the National Assembly, however, consistently maintained that the delay was due to legislative procedures and the need to achieve concurrence between both chambers before transmitting the bill for presidential assent.

The House of Representatives has resolved to probe the ongoing N15tn Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, which has attracted both praise and condemnation since its approval in February. The 10-lane coastal road was designed to connect Lagos to Cross River, passing through various states before culminating in Calabar. The project gained traction under the administrations of Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari but could not commence. The Ministry of Works defended the project, stating it followed due process and that House of Representatives members had pledged support for the project. The Federal Executive Council has approved and released N1.06tn for the contractor for the pilot phase of the construction. The highway was conceived as an Engineering, Procurement and Construction plus Financing project, with part-funding by the Federal Government between 15 to 30%. The approval process went through the Bureau of Public Procurement after consideration by the Federal Executive Council.

The Nigerian Senate’s decision to convene an emergency plenary sitting reflects escalating national concern over amendments to the Electoral Act, particularly the rejection of a clause mandating real-time electronic transmission of election results. Passed on February 4, 2026, the amendment retained discretionary provisions for result transmission, triggering widespread criticism from labour unions, civil society organizations, and political activists. Groups such as the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Movement for Credible Elections warned that legislative ambiguity undermines electoral transparency and public trust, threatening protests and election boycotts. Critics argue that mandatory electronic transmission is essential to prevent manipulation during result collation and to strengthen democratic accountability. In response to mounting pressure, a bipartisan conference committee of the National Assembly is tasked with harmonizing differing versions of the bill passed by both chambers. The debate highlights ongoing struggles within Nigeria’s democratic reform process, as stakeholders demand clearer legal safeguards to ensure credible, transparent elections ahead of future polls.