Pandemonium broke out at the House of Representatives on Tuesday as lawmakers engaged in a heated exchange during plenary over moves to revisit the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The tense session, presided over by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, witnessed sharp disagreements among members shortly after proceedings resumed at the National Assembly.
Trouble began when the Speaker read the only item listed on the day’s Order Paper, which sought the rescission of the Electoral Act amendment earlier passed by the chamber.
The motion was moved by Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive, and seconded by Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Adebayo Balogun.
Presenting the motion, Waive explained that a technical committee comprising leaders from both chambers of the National Assembly, members of the conference committee, clerks of the Senate and House, as well as legal drafting experts, had met to harmonise discrepancies discovered in the bill.
He noted that the review became necessary to address inconsistencies and unintended consequences in the legislation while safeguarding electoral timelines, inclusiveness, administrative efficiency and public confidence in the electoral process.
Waive added that the House needed to rescind its earlier decision and recommit the bill to the Committee of the Whole for further legislative consideration aimed at correcting the identified anomalies.
However, tension escalated when the Speaker called for a voice vote, as many lawmakers shouted “nay,” appearing to outnumber those in support of the motion.
Despite the resistance, the presiding officer proceeded with the process, triggering protests from members, particularly those from the minority caucus.
The disagreement intensified as some lawmakers openly confronted one another on the floor.
A Jigawa lawmaker, Abubakar Yalleman, was seen gesturing angrily toward his Osun State colleague, Bamidele Salam, although details of their exchange remained unclear.
Amid the growing disorder, the House moved into a closed door executive session to restore calm.
As of the time this report was filed, plenary had yet to resume.
Meanwhile, a legislator who spoke on condition of anonymity alleged that attempts were being made to alter aspects of the version of the bill previously passed by the House, insisting that members would resist any changes perceived to undermine earlier resolutions.
The controversy comes as the National Assembly continues efforts to reconcile differences between Senate and House versions of the amendment, particularly on the issue of electronic transmission of election results.
While the House approved compulsory real time electronic transmission, the Senate version allows manual transmission where electronic systems fail.