As the National Assembly resumes plenary today, January 27, 2026, a dangerous clock is ticking at the Red Chamber. This is because despite passage by the House of Representatives, amendments to the Electoral Act remain stalled at the Senate. With constitutional deadlines looming, delay now threatens to force Nigeria into the 2027 polls under a flawed legal framework. Sunday Aborisade reports.
When the 10th Senate resumes plenary on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, the mood in the Red Chamber will be sombre but the stakes could hardly be higher. In line with parliamentary tradition, senators will first adjourn sitting in honour of the late Senator Godiya Akwashiki, who passed away after a prolonged illness in an Indian hospital, before reconvening the following day. Yet beyond the ceremonial pause lies a more consequential hiatus, which is one that has already begun to cast a long shadow over Nigeria’s democratic future.
More than any other legislative delay, the Senate’s failure so far to pass the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, despite its passage by the House of Representatives, has become the most troubling implication of the recess.