Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, has stated that the National Assembly will not amend the Electoral Act again before the 2027 general elections, despite recent court rulings affecting some provisions of the electoral framework.
According to Bamidele, altering electoral laws close to party primaries and general elections could create suspicion among political actors and fuel allegations of manipulation. He argued that any further review of the electoral law should only take place after the conclusion of the 2027 elections.
Speaking on recent judicial decisions that invalidated aspects of INEC’s election guidelines, the Senate Leader emphasized that the judiciary has the constitutional responsibility to interpret laws, while the legislature’s role is to make them. He maintained that the National Assembly should respect those court decisions rather than rush into immediate legislative amendments.
Bamidele’s position comes months after the Senate had already passed significant amendments to the Electoral Act, including reducing the statutory election notice period from 360 days to 300 days to provide flexibility in scheduling the 2027 elections and address concerns about election dates coinciding with Ramadan.
