Electoral Act Amendment: Agbedi Accuses House Leadership of Partisanship as Protests Rock NASS

A member of the House Committee on Electoral Affairs, Fred Agbedi, has accused the leadership of the House of Representatives of turning deliberations on the Electoral Act Amendment into a partisan exercise and marginalising minority lawmakers.

Agbedi, a lawmaker on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking on Politics Today.

He argued that the legislative process should accommodate dissenting views, stressing that disruptions during plenary were triggered by what he described as the denial of members’ rights to be heard.

“In the lawmaking process, the people have their opinion. The beauty of democracy is that the majority will have their way while the minority will have their say.

“When you ignore members who raise points of order, that is what causes rowdiness. We all have equal rights, and when I speak, I am speaking for my people,” he said.

Agbedi further claimed that the debate initially cut across party lines but later became polarised when members of the ruling All Progressives Congress were allegedly directed to vote as a bloc.

“At the beginning, there were no party lines; people believed the real-time transmission provision was good enough and reflected what Nigerians wanted. But when the majority party felt threatened, division was used, and APC members were called to one side of the House,” he added.

He maintained that the outcome of the process did not reflect public expectations, alleging that both lawmakers and citizens were “defrauded” by the final position adopted by the House.

Protests, Heightened Tension at National Assembly

Agbedi’s comments came as protests entered a second day at the National Assembly of Nigeria Complex in Abuja, where civil society groups and activists demanded that the amendment bill explicitly mandate real-time electronic transmission of election results to the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Demonstrators also called for the passage of the Special Seats for Women Bill.

Notable figures at the protest included Omoyele Sowore, Oby Ezekwesili, Peter Obi, and Aisha Yesufu.

Security was heightened around the complex, with reports indicating that tear gas was deployed to disperse sections of the crowd.

Rowdy Plenary Session

Inside the chamber, tensions flared during deliberations, as opposition lawmakers staged protests over the removal of the “real-time” transmission clause from the bill.

The Minority Caucus, led by Kingsley Chinda, criticised the decision, while Speaker Tajudeen Abbas presided over a heated voice vote.

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu later chaired proceedings during clause-by-clause consideration, and Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere moved a motion for a closed-door session in a bid to restore order.

The House eventually passed the harmonised Electoral Act 2026, retaining provisions that allow manual collation where electronic transmission fails  a position the opposition argues could create room for manipulation.

Agbedi insisted that lawmakers must prioritise public confidence in the electoral process, warning that perceptions of exclusion and partisanship could erode trust in future elections.