A bill to make the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct presidential, governorship, national and state assemblies’ elections same day has scaled second reading in the upper legislative chamber.

This is one of the demands contained in the amendment bill to repeal the Electoral Act 2022 and enact a new Electoral Bill 2025.

The bill, sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters, Simon Lalong, representing Plateau South, aims to strengthen the legal framework governing elections in Nigeria.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the bill passage during Wednesday’s plenary after the majority of senators supported it through a voice vote.

Following its passage, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Electoral Matters for further deliberation and a public hearing.

The committee was directed to report back within two weeks.

While presenting the bill, Mr Lalong acknowledged that the Electoral Act 2022 introduced significant reforms, noting that was fraught with certain weaknesses, such as delays in the release of election funds, disputes over voter registers, conflicting interpretations of result transmission, and weak enforcement of electoral offences.

He explained that the new legislation sought to enhance the independence of INEC by insulating it from political interference and government control.

During the debate, Adamu Aliero representing Kebbi North called for the inclusion of clear provisions on the electronic transmission of results. He further urged his colleagues to strengthen the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to ensure transparency in elections.

Orji Kalu representing Abia North also encouraged all lawmakers, including those in the opposition, to work together towards building a transparent electoral process.