Sunday Aborisade, in this piece, captures how a mild drama that unfolded at Senate plenary last Thursday stalled a debate on Nigeria’s Electoral Reform Bill.
In what turned out to be one of the most dramatic moments of Nigeria’s 10th Senate, the upper chamber was thrown into confusion last week when the President of the Senate, Senator GodswillAkpabio ordered that the controversial Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2025 be stepped down, citing the shocking absence of the bill’s text for circulation among Senators.
The bill, described as a “holistic reform package” aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s electoral system, was scheduled for second reading. But what began as a routine legislative procedure quickly degenerated into a tense procedural standoff that rekindled questions about the integrity of Nigeria’s lawmaking process.