Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has berated the Senate under the leadership of Godswill Akpabio over the delay in passing a bill on punishment for electoral fraud.
Naijaonpoint learnt that the bill meant to stop vote-rigging, toughen penalties for electoral fraud, and regulate election funding may not make it in time for the 2027 elections because the Senate is stalling.
According to FIJ, the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which has completed committee consideration, is still stuck in plenary, despite having appeared on the Senate order paper for consideration about a month.
The bill was reportedly skipped during that day’s plenary proceedings, despite being on the legislative agenda for December 3, 2025. The committee report for the bill had been prepared and was ready for consideration by the House.
Reacting to the publication, Atiku, in a post via his 𝕏 handle on Thursday, said it has become evident that the Senate is determined to frustrate the passage of amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act.
Atiku stated that a significant setback to the 2023 elections is the loopholes in the Electoral Act 2022 that paved the way for the brazen rigging, and the near-impossibility of petitioners to advance their cases in the courts.
The former Presidential candidate emphasised that it is imperative that the Senate finalises the amendments and ensures the updated law governs the conduct of the 2027 elections.
He wrote, “A major setback to the 2023 elections is the loopholes in the Electoral Act 2022 that paved the way for the brazen rigging of that election, and the near-impossibility of petitioners to advance their cases in the courts.
“It is imperative that if the mistakes of the 2023 election are to be corrected, the legal instrument for the conduct of the 2027 and subsequent future elections needs to be reviewed.
“But as things stand, it has become obvious that the Senate is determined to frustrate the passage of amendments to the 2022 Electoral Act.
“The recent report by FIJ serves as both an indictment of the Senate and a timely call for legislative responsibility. The credibility of the 2027 general elections hinges on the urgency with which the Senate treats this crucial bill.
“It is, therefore, imperative that the Senate finalises the amendments and ensures the updated law governs the conduct of the 2027 elections. Anything short of this is a deliberate attempt to rig the election long before the ballots are cast.”