Nigeria’s electoral reform efforts stalled again yesterday as the Senate emerged from a four-hour closed session on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill without a decision, raising concerns that politically sensitive transparency measures are being delayed as the country edges closer to future polls.
Lawmakers entered executive session at about 1:06 p.m. after Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele moved a motion to resume the deferred clause-by-clause consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, chaired by Simon Lalong. The session lasted more than four hours, with plenary reconvening at about 5:30 p.m.
However, the chamber offered no clarity on the bill.
Addressing lawmakers, Senate President Godswill Akpabio said members had deliberated on issues “concerning the Senate in particular and the nation in general”, before asking the chamber to affirm that the outcome reflected the work of the Committee of the Whole. Members agreed, and the matter was closed without any public disclosure.
Moments later, Bamidele moved a motion to adjourn plenary to today, which was adopted.
It was the second time the Senate concluded deliberations on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill without making its position known, despite growing public interest in the legislation.
The bill contains wide-ranging proposals aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s electoral process, including mandatory real-time electronic transmission of results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission Result Viewing Portal (IREV), tougher penalties for electoral offences such as result falsification and ballot box snatching, and stricter accountability measures for presiding officers.
It also seeks to replace references to the “smart card reader” with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), bar party agents or candidates from accompanying visually impaired or incapacitated voters into voting cubicles, and raise fines for buying or selling Permanent Voter Cards from N500,000 to N5 million.
Despite the breadth of the proposed reforms, the Senate’s continued silence has left observers questioning when the amendments will be concluded, as the clock ticks toward future electoral contests.
Electoral reform delays threaten Nigeria’s democracy, group warns
Meanwhile, the National Conscience Platform (NCP) has warned that Nigeria is approaching a critical democratic crossroads, saying prolonged delays in electoral reform are deepening public distrust, suppressing participation and threatening the foundations of multiparty democracy.
In a statement jointly signed yesterday by the platform’s interim coordinators, Comrade Babatunde Agunbiade and Wale Ogunade, the group said declining voter turnout and stalled amendments to the Electoral Act point to a “systemic failure that can no longer be managed with cosmetic fixes”.
Citing figures from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the platform said voter turnout fell from about 54 per cent in 2011 to 35 per cent in 2019, before dropping further to approximately 27 per cent in the 2023 general elections. It described the trend as evidence of “public resignation rather than apathy”.
“When citizens withdraw from elections, democracy does not simply weaken; it begins to lose legitimacy,” the statement said.
The group noted that Nigeria now operates one of the most expensive electoral systems in Africa, yet public confidence continues to slide. Despite repeated investments in technology, logistics and security, elections are still widely perceived as failing to reflect the will of the people.
“This contradiction exposes the deeper problem,” the platform said. “Credibility cannot be purchased. It is built through strong institutions, fair competition and enforceable rules.”
The NCP expressed concern over what it called the prolonged stalling of key Electoral Act amendments at the National Assembly, warning that legislative inaction carries national consequences.
“Delaying electoral reform is a political decision with national consequences,” it said, adding that failure to update the legal framework sustains structural weaknesses that favour exclusion, weaken opposition politics and erode accountability.
The platform anchored its advocacy on the 2008 electoral reform report led by Mohammed Uwais, describing it as the most comprehensive blueprint yet produced for Nigeria’s electoral renewal. More than 16 years after its submission, it said many core recommendations, including proposals to strengthen the independence of the electoral management body, regulate campaign finance and deepen internal party democracy, remain largely unimplemented.
Referencing surveys by Afrobarometer, the group said fewer than one in three Nigerians believe elections genuinely reflect voters’ choices, warning that continued neglect of reform could further destabilise the polity.
Beyond elections, the NCP linked democratic fragility to broader national challenges such as insecurity, poverty and declining trust in public institutions, noting that international development partners have repeatedly identified weak governance legitimacy as a factor undermining social stability.
The platform also cautioned against any drift towards de facto one-party dominance, stressing that political pluralism is a constitutional requirement, not a concession.
“A democracy without competition cannot self-correct,” the statement said. “History shows that when political space narrows, instability expands.”
Calling for what it described as a “national duty of conscience”, the NCP urged civil society organisations, labour unions, professional bodies, youth movements, faith leaders and the media to jointly press for comprehensive electoral reform.
“Electoral reform delayed is democracy denied,” the statement concluded.
Karimi seeks revenue formula review, cites weak state accountability, federal strain
In a related development, a senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Steve Karimi, has reignited debate over Nigeria’s fiscal federalism, warning that weak accountability at the subnational level has enabled widespread misuse of public funds while the federal government struggles to meet growing national responsibilities.
Karimi spoke during consideration of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Alteration) Bill 2026 (SB 1016), which scaled first reading at the Nigerian Senate.
He argued that the current revenue allocation framework has created what he described as a dangerous imbalance, with states receiving increasing allocations despite weak oversight, even as the federal government faces mounting pressure from infrastructure decay, insecurity and other constitutional obligations.
According to the lawmaker, the core challenge is not revenue sharing alone but accountability.
“While states receive larger allocations under the current system, there is often little accountability for how these funds are spent,” Karimi told colleagues. “Federal oversight ensures that resources are used for their intended purpose, but state and local government oversight mechanisms are largely weak or inactive.”
He said once funds are shared from the Federation Account, constitutional limitations prevent the National Assembly from effectively tracking how states deploy the money. Although state Houses of Assembly are empowered to perform oversight, Karimi said many have failed to hold governors accountable.
“Are these Houses of Assembly working? Do they have the power to question their executives? That is a serious problem we must confront honestly,” he said.
The senator warned that without enforceable accountability mechanisms, higher allocations to states have not translated into visible development, noting that in many parts of the country citizens see little evidence of the growing monthly inflows.
He contrasted this with the federal government, which he said is subjected to constant legislative scrutiny.
“The federal government is questioned daily, on roads, on security, on defence spending. But who is asking the states how they are spending their money?” he asked.
Karimi linked the accountability gap to Nigeria’s worsening infrastructure crisis, pointing to federal roads across the country that have deteriorated due to chronic underfunding. Many projects awarded as far back as 2014 remain incomplete, he said, largely because available funds are insufficient.
“The federal government awards these contracts, but it does not have the revenue to fund them fully. Contractors are always at the Ministry of Finance crying for payment. This is happening nationwide,” he said.
He described security financing as an even more urgent challenge, noting that responsibility for national defence, intelligence and counterterrorism rests with the federal government.
Karimi recalled recent engagements with military chiefs who, he said, indicated they could make significant progress against banditry and insurgency if adequately funded. Equipment shortages, he added, have forced the government to explore unconventional arrangements abroad, including equipment loans.
“This is not a situation we should normalise. All is not well with federal government financing,” he said.
His bill seeks a constitutional amendment to slightly increase the federal government’s share of revenue, arguing that national responsibilities have expanded significantly since the current formula was adopted decades ago.
Karimi rejected suggestions that the solution lies simply in devolving federal responsibilities to states, saying such proposals would require extensive constitutional amendments and political consensus.
“To reassign federal roads to states, for instance, is not as simple as it sounds. These roads are clearly listed under the Constitution. Any attempt to change that requires another constitutional process,” he said.
He warned that transferring more responsibilities to states without fixing oversight weaknesses would only worsen the problem.
“If you give more responsibilities to states that are not accountable, what have you solved?” he asked.
The senator also raised concerns about local governments, alleging that funds meant for grassroots development are routinely diverted through informal arrangements. He said even some state lawmakers are aware of the practice but lack the independence or authority to challenge it.
“This has become an open secret. Until people start going to jail, the system will not change,” he said.
Karimi dismissed claims that the federal government is financially comfortable, citing abandoned roads, unpaid contractors and underfunded security operations as evidence that the centre is overstretched. He also cautioned against returning to measures such as excessive borrowing or “Ways and Means” financing, warning they could destabilise the economy.
“We don’t want to solve today’s problems by creating tomorrow’s crisis,” he said.
He stressed that the proposed amendment is not an attempt to centralise power but a response to current realities.
“This is not politics. It is about ensuring that the federal government can meet its constitutional responsibilities to Nigerians,” Karimi said.
The bill has passed first reading and is expected to attract scrutiny as lawmakers weigh the balance between revenue, responsibility and accountability within Nigeria’s federal system.