Senate passes Electoral Act amendment on pre-election disputes
The Senate has passed an amendment to the 2026 Electoral Act Bill aimed at establishing clearer legal procedures for the handling of pre-election disputes ahead of future elections.
The amendment was approved during Thursday’s plenary after lawmakers considered a report presented by the Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission, chaired by Simon Lalong.
The proposed legislation seeks to amend Section 29 of the Electoral Act and introduce a new Section 29A to resolve recurring jurisdictional disagreements in pre-election matters across the country.
Leading the debate, Lalong said the amendment became necessary because conflicting court interpretations had continued to create uncertainty in Nigeria’s electoral process and delayed the resolution of disputes.
“The legitimacy of candidates and the integrity of party primaries are foundational pillars of representative democracy. Where the legal framework regulating pre-election disputes is uncertain or conflicting, the entire electoral architecture becomes vulnerable to confusion, forum shopping, contradictory judgments, and unnecessary delays,” Lalong said.
Under the amendment, aspirants would be allowed to institute legal action either in the Federal Capital Territory or in the jurisdiction where the cause of action arose.
The bill also provides that disputes involving National Assembly, governorship and state assembly elections would originate at the Federal High Court, with appeals proceeding to the Court of Appeal.
For presidential and vice-presidential elections, such matters would begin directly at the Court of Appeal, with appeals going to the Supreme Court. Senate President Godswill Akpabio expressed optimism that President Bola Tinubu would assent to the bill, describing it as a move that would strengthen democracy and governance.
