UPDATED: Tension in House of Reps as members oppose rescission of Electoral Act bill

The House of Representatives was thrown into a rowdy session on Tuesday following a failed attempt to rescind its earlier decision on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

The tension began when the Chairperson of the Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive (APC, Delta), presented a motion seeking to rescind the passage of the bill in line with Order Nine, Rule 1(6) of the House Standing Orders.

The House had passed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, on 23 December 2025.

Leading the debate, Mr Waive said the motion was informed by the need to revisit the legislation to reflect emerging electoral reforms. He urged lawmakers to rescind the earlier decision and recommit the bill to the Committee of the Whole for fresh consideration.

The motion was seconded and subsequently put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen. However, most lawmakers voted against it.

The outcome sparked protests on the floor, with members openly disagreeing, resulting in a rowdy session that lasted several minutes.

In an apparent effort to calm tensions, a separate motion was moved for the House to proceed into an executive (closed-door) session. When the proposal was put to a voice vote, lawmakers again rejected it.

Despite the resistance, the House was eventually called into a closed-door session.

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After more than an hour in executive session, Mr Tajudeen stepped aside, and the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, presided as the House dissolved into the Committee of the Whole to consider a Bill to repeal the Electoral Act, 2022 and enact the Electoral Bill, 2026.

The Committee concluded clause-by-clause consideration despite a series of rowdy exchanges, after which the House passed the harmonised version of the bill.

The House thereafter adjourned to Tuesday, 24 February.