February 17, 2026

Minority members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday staged a walkout from plenary after lawmakers approved contentious provisions of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2025, sparking fresh concerns over the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.

The protest followed the adoption of Clause 60(3), which allows for both real-time electronic transmission and manual collation of election results as a backup, as well as Clause 84, which outlines the methods political parties may use to nominate candidates.

The House had earlier reversed its December 2025 passage of the bill to correct identified inconsistencies before recommitting it to the Committee of the Whole for clause-by-clause consideration. However, debate quickly became heated.

During deliberations on Clause 60(3), Rep. Bamidele Salam moved a motion seeking the outright deletion of the provision permitting manual transmission of results, insisting that elections should be transmitted electronically without exceptions. The motion was seconded by Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda.

When the motion was subjected to a voice vote, it was defeated, with the majority retaining both manual and electronic transmission options in the bill.

The outcome triggered visible discontent among minority lawmakers, who subsequently walked out of plenary and addressed journalists.

Speaking to reporters, Chinda said the minority could not support any legal provision that, in their view, creates loopholes for the manipulation of election results.

“Our position is clear: election results should be transmitted electronically,” he said. “We oppose any clause that gives room for micro-manipulation, rigging, or any untoward act.”

He revealed that the minority had proposed that in cases of conflict between manually collated Form EC8A results and electronically transmitted results, the electronic version should take precedence.

“Those positions were rejected,” Chinda said, alleging that the decision was driven by members of the All Progressives Congress along party lines rather than national interest.

According to him, the walkout was a deliberate step to formally register the minority’s objection before the Nigerian public.

“After what happened on the floor, we felt it was important to register our position with Nigerians—the court of public opinion. That was why we walked out,” he explained.

The minority caucus also opposed Clause 84, which deals with party primaries and the method of candidate selection. Chinda argued that political parties should be free to choose between direct primaries, indirect primaries, or consensus arrangements without legislative interference.

“The method of selecting candidates should remain an internal party affair,” he said, warning that imposing a particular mode would amount to undue intrusion into party administration.

Despite the protest, the House pressed ahead with consideration of the amendments, setting the stage for heightened political debate as Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 general elections.

The development highlights deepening partisan divisions within the Green Chamber over electoral reforms, with minority lawmakers vowing to continue mobilising public opinion against provisions they believe could undermine transparency and internal party democracy.